U.S. Bank Stadium: Home to Super Bowl LII and a Death Trap for Migratory Birds

Josh Peter reports on the deadly consequences for birds resulting from construction choices made in the site of today's Super Bowl in Minneapolis.

"The problem: [U.S. Bank Stadium] sits within a migratory bird pathway, and reflective glass that gives the stadium a spectacular look also leads to fatal collisions for birds that mistake glass for sky," according to Peter. White-throated sparrows, ruby-throated hummingbirds, and 20 other species of birds have been found dead around the stadium since it opened in 2016.

The problem is made all the more tragic by the fact that these bird deaths could have been prevented with bird-safe glass that would have added $1 million to the cost of the $1.1 billion stadium (financed with the help of almost $500 million in public funding).

Peter talks with local environmentalists and bird lovers concerned about the deaths of so many birds. Bryan Trubey, lead architect on U.S. Bank Stadium, refused an invitation to speak on the record about the bird deaths. The Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority are undertaking a bird fatality study expected for completion in 2019.