Over a billion birds die after striking U.S. buildings each year — maybe many more

[DCReid]

The majority of birds that are injured or stunned hitting buildings don’t recover, a new U.S. study has found, which could push estimates for the number of birds killed flying into buildings far above 1 billion a year...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/over-bill...004601876.html

[JManc]

This is why I don't wash our large bedroom windows that face the backyard, almost no reflection and we have a lot of birds in our yard; bunch of trees and I have feeders.

[sopas ej]

Wow, I wonder what the number of birds killed flying into buildings total in the world are then, if a billion of them die that way in the US alone!

[ocman]

Curious about the difference between the types/color of glass that they’re flying in to. Like, does Toronto’s green aquarium skyline cause more or less bird deaths.

[Steely Dan]

In a related study, scientists also determined that birds are dumb.

Seriously, you feathered little idiots, stop flying into shit and maybe you won't die.

It's not rocket science.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

In a related study, scientists also determined that birds are dumb.

Seriously, you feathered little idiots, stop flying into shit and maybe you won't die.

It's not rocket science.

Eventually evolution will figure this out. Just like how birds don't crash into trees, unless they have poor eye sight, in which, they hit the tree, crash and a cat somewhere eats it and presents his decapitated head as a gift to someone and proceeds to play cat soccer with the head, rolling it into the pile of feather heads. Like a natural version of a gumball machine.

If the NIMBYS get their way, the birds win! And we can't have that!!!

The following message is sponsored by the Association of Cats for Towers.

[llamaorama]

Maybe it would be possible to etch or print a geometric pattern onto the glass, which wouldn't greatly effect its transparency for someone looking out and which would fit the modernist aesthetic of most glass-clad buildings. But still break up the surface so that birds notice it and do not fly into it?

[The ATX]

And how many more die flying through wind farms? It's tough being a bird.

[mrnyc]

i think i have read birds get easily disoriented by lights inside buildings or reflections of lights off buildings.


but actually prowling cats kill more birds than anything else.

[TempleGuy1000]

I once watched a local news report of the guy who sweeps them up in Philly. Probably better I can't find it now.

This is what prompted cities to do the 'Lights Out' events on the tall skyscrapers.

the new Children's hospital building here has a new type of cladding that is supposedly 'bird-proof': CHOP’s new bird-proofed skyscraper will focus on vaccine and genetics research

[TWAK]

A quail would run around the building!

[Doady]

Community centre in my neighbour has a swimming pool area with giant glass window on side and they covered with window with white dots spaced about a metre (edit: 10 centimetres) apart, which I assume is prevent birds from flying into it.

Wind turbine blades can be painted black to prevent collision with birds.

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by llamaorama

Maybe it would be possible to etch or print a geometric pattern onto the glass, which wouldn't greatly effect its transparency for someone looking out and which would fit the modernist aesthetic of most glass-clad buildings. But still break up the surface so that birds notice it and do not fly into it?

I work in development and this is a simple way to reduce bird strikes for glass buildings. Adding a simple dotted pattern/fritting is a way to reduce bird strikes. Other methods include stencils, frosted glass, non-relfective or angled glass, screens, and latticework. Untreated glass shouldn't be more than 35% of a building facade. Trees should be placed where they aren't reflected on building facades. Glass courtyards, courtyards with windows opposite of each other, and atriums should be avoided to prevent them from becoming bird traps.

Basically, birds are kind of dumb when viewed from our perspective. But to them, large glassy buildings that reflect the sky do just that - they look like sky. And at the speeds birds fly, sometimes it's too late to slow down and turn.

I think a lot of aesthetic changes that can be done to reduce bird strikes may actually also help with complaints about bland architecture today. Depending on the architect's use of these techniques of course.

[202_Cyclist]

'Birds' are a vast and dastardly conspiracy anyways.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/t...formation.html

[xzmattzx]

How many birds in the world, and in the US, are there?

[James Bond Agent 007]

The solution to this is really pretty straightforward. I have a kitchen bay window overlooking a patio, and have several bird feeders at the edges of the patio. I used to get about a bird a week colliding into the center window (the 2 side windows of the bay window have screens, the center one doesn't). The last straw was several years ago when a hummingbird hit the center window with a VERY loud THUMP! I rushed outside and the hummingbird was frantically flapping its wings beneath the window. I rushed into my garage to grab a shovel and gave it a mercy killing. That was very hard to do.

Afterwards I scoured the internet and found the product below. I ordered a pane of it custom cut to fit that window. This was about 5 years ago. I haven't had a single bird collision at that window since.

https://www.collidescape.org/white

One side benefit is, I used to scare the birds away from my feeders when I went to look out that window. Now they (usually) don't see me and I can watch them at my feeders just feet away without scaring them.

The only issue with this is, you'd need to have, like, every glass high-rise in every big city to be installed with these things in order to do any good. A window here and there is nice but doesn't make much difference in the grand scheme of things. It would have to be installed everywhere.

I suppose you could start by requiring it on new construction, and then gradually make older buildings install it over some decades.

Also, encouraging or even requiring buildings to turn as many lights off at night during migration season would help.

EDIT: Also, since this product screens out a lot of sunlight, especially on south-facing windows, it would also cut down on air conditioning costs.