Strategies to Reduce Bird Strikes
Each year, millions of birds hit windows and die because they don’t see the glass until it is too late. In Canada, the annual death rate from window strikes is thought to be about 25 million birds.
There are effective do-it-yourself solutions that help birds see that there is a window. These include closing curtains or blinds, ribbons, string, or tape on the outside of windows, or adding dense decals or markings. The important thing is to cover much of the glass on the outside. A few decals here and there won’t be effective, such as the bird silhouettes that are often sold in stores.
According to Safe Wings Ottawa, scientific research has shown the following collision-deterrent strategies to be largely or entirely ineffective:
- Silhouettes of hawks (or any other shape), unless multiple silhouettes are applied in a dense pattern
- Single window decals, or visual markers that are spaced too far apart
- UV decals or liquid, which are not visible to all bird species and are least visible early in the morning, when most collisions occur
- Visual markers or decals that are difficult to see, or that fade or wash off
- Ribbons or string spaced too far apart
- Treatments applied to the inside of windows
- Noise deterrents
- Plastic owls
Try Paracord Curtains
One solution is to put up string in the form of paracord on your windows, spacing it about 10 cm (4 inches) apart vertically.
A Columbia Valley resident whose house sits in the middle of a large open field with many windows, has used this as a bird-saving solution. She says that since putting up the paracord curtains, birds hitting her windows have decreased by about 80–90%—a huge decrease!
She recommends cutting the paracord longer than needed, as it can apparently shrink over the years. In windy places, anchoring the bottom of the paracord can help prevent it from blowing around and leaving parts of the window exposed. She uses Paracord 425, which she says is easy to cut. You can purchase it online from Canada Paracord.
How to make paracord curtains and why birds fly into glass.
Try Feather-Friendly Tape
This is another option which can be applied to windows in a pattern of dots. The human eye can tune out the dots in much the same way that we can tune out mosquito screens on windows.
What the dots look like on windows and where you can purchase the tape.
Don’t Forget About Nighttime Lighting
As we get into fall and millions of birds migrate south to their wintering grounds, turning off unnecessary lights and closing curtains at night is also important. Reducing light at night can help prevent birds from becoming disoriented and colliding with windows and other structures.