Protecting Birds From Window Glass

Glass windows kill billions of birds each year. Simple fixes can help.

1 minute read

March 24, 2025, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Glass high-rise reflecting clouds.

dell / Adobe Stock

Glass windows kill as many as 5 billion birds in the United States each year, but humans can mitigate the danger in a variety of easy, low-cost ways. Michaela Haas outlines some recommendations in a piece for Reasons to Be Cheerful.

The problem isn’t just with glass high-rises: according to Audubon experts, “low-rises with four stories or fewer account for more than half of bird collisions (54 percent), closely followed by residential structures (44 percent) and less than one percent at high-rises.”

Solutions include closing blinds or curtains to make the window visible or adding vinyl stickers to break up the reflection. “Putting vegetation or bird feeders close to windows is another deterrent, giving avian migrants a place to land instead of continuing at full speed toward the glass.” Experts recommend planting native vegetation that gives birds a place to rest and feed, particularly in urban environments where green space is scarce.

Light pollution also influences birds’ behavior, disorienting them. Turning off lights at night can help birds maintain their natural rhythms and stay on course during migration.

Thursday, March 20, 2025 in Reasons to Be Cheerful

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

April 18 - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

April 18 - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

April 18 - Smart Cities Dive