10 Ways to Help Birds: Number 10 — Make your windows safe

Prairie Warbler in Norwalk. © Frank Mantlik

Today starts our list of 10 ways you can help birds. We’ll count them down, one each day starting today with number 10, til Earth Day, Thursday, April 22.

April 13, 2021 — A bird doesn’t see a window as a barrier. If the window reflects the sky and trees, a bird thinks it’s flying into the sky and trees. The result is often a dead bird — lots of them.

The best estimates show that up to a billion birds a year are killed when they fly into windows, walls, and other structures. In December 2019, New York City passed a law that requires new buildings to meet standards that are expected to greatly reduce bird strikes.

If early January is for New Year’s resolutions, the coming of Earth Day is a good time to make your own environmental resolutions. As with many other issues, individuals can take meaningful action to protect birds from killing themselves on windows.

The American Bird Conservancy has evaluated a list of products that reduce bird strikes and published advice for homeowners and for architects. These include five that ABC awarded its Saves Birds logo: Acopian Bird Savers, Bird Crash Preventers, Evonik Soundstop Birdguard, Feather Friendly DIY, and Solyx Bird Safety Film.