Sharing the Skyline with Birds

You’ve probably heard the sickening sound of a bird flying into a window, but you may not have heard that annual bird fatalities from such collisions range from 100 million to 1 billion in the U.S. alone. This threat to bird populations is second only to habitat loss, according to ornithologists. Birds can’t see glass, so collisions can happen anywhere birds and glass coexist. Exacerbating the problem, glass often reflects trees and sky—appearing attractive to birds.

There are a number of ways to prevent bird collisions in both new construction and existing buildings, but solutions that can be integrated into the design of a building are most likely to be welcomed by designers and project owners. The new LEED Pilot Credit 55: Bird Collision Deterrence provides resources for helping buildings integrate solutions, and metrics for measuring success.