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CAPE WILDLIFE CENTER @2006
Birds often view windows as open pathways and their strikes can be fatal. |
Many of us have heard the loud thud of a bird hitting a window. For the most part these strikes happen for a simple reason: birds can’t see the glass. Windows reflect the nearby habitat or sky, so the bird sees a tree or cloud reflection and flies into the glass.
Some birds, such as bluebirds, cardinals, and robins, bang against windows because they see their reflection in the glass as another bird. It is a territorial behavior for the bird to fight off an “intruder.” Territorial window strikes are most common in the springtime, when breeding season has mates staking out their own space. The banging can start at daylight and last until dusk.
Sometimes the bird is only stunned upon impact and recovers to rejoin the flock. Repeated banging, however, can cause beak and neck trauma and injuries. Unfortunately, the impact is often fatal, and the fatality numbers are astounding. According to David Malakoff (Audubon magazine, March 2004), window strikes kill between 100 million and 1 billion birds in North America each year, particularly migrating birds.
Wildlife rehabilitation centers frequently receive birds who have struck windows, many of whom are admitted with beak, head and wing injuries. Here at the Cape Wildlife Center, in 2005, 22 birds were brought in by rescuers who reported the birds hitting windows, 12 more were diagnosed by Cape staff as window strikes, and another 58 were admitted with head trauma of unknown origin. It may take weeks for a bird to recover from such an injury, if at all. In other cases, the bird just needs a quiet, dark place to rest away from predators and can be released again in a matter of hours.
You Can Help
There are a number of options homeowners can try to prevent birds from striking windows. Falcon, owl, or spider web silhouette decals can be placed on windows to scare off birds. The idea is that these shapes of predators are enough to prevent small birds from flying toward them. The silhouettes work for a time, but birds are not stupid; they soon see the silhouettes as stationary objects that pose no threat. Experts now recommend hanging them on the outside of the window so they will move in the wind. CD’s are another inexpensive alternative to hang outside windows; they glitter and twirl as they move in the breeze and will prevent a bird from colliding with a window.
To make a silhouette, draw a predator on a piece of paper, enlarge it on a copier, cut it out, trace the outline onto black paper or vinyl, and stick it on or outside your window. To make a moving deterrent, the cutout or CD can be attached by suction cups externally and suspended by string to facilitate movement.
Another solution is a static-cling decal called WindowAlert. The decal reflects ultraviolet sunlight and glows back at the birds. Ultraviolet light is invisible to humans, so the decals are unobtrusive to us. This product is available at bird hobbyist stores throughout the country.
An even simpler method to deter bird strikes is to let your windows stay dirty. Forget about spring cleaning—a dirty window is a dull one which reflects very little light and can be seen by birds as a solid object. You’ve got an excuse for not washing your windows!
The fact is you can make your windows safer for birds and reduce the number of fatalities as well as admissions to rehabilitation centers. Through using one of these simple methods, you can help our wild feathered friends not strike out but stay in the game to enjoy their full, natural life, and if you’re lucky, brighten your backyard.
posted May 15, 2006
