How to keep birds from flying into your windows
UC ornithologist says simple steps can prevent needless deaths of birds
Yahoo! News picked up an Indianapolis Star story examining ways to prevent birds from flying into windows at homes and businesses.
The Star talked to University of Cincinnati ornithologist Ronald Canterbury about simple ways to make windows more visible to birds that might otherwise be fooled by the reflection of a tree branch or bush.
As many as 1 billion birds die each year in the United States after striking windows, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Silent spring is coming,” Canterbury said, referencing the famous Rachel Carson 1962 book that inspired the environmental movement of the 1970s. “The urgency is now.”
Canterbury and his students have been studying the problem of fatal bird strikes in Cincinnati. While the glass of skyscrapers can stretch hundreds of feet in the air, Canterbury said the problem area is closer to the ground — in the first couple floors of a building where glass reflects trees and bushes.
Glass walkways, particularly those around landscaped courtyards, can also be deadly traps for birds that are trying to reach the safety of cover, he said.
But there are many options:
- Adding glass films featuring a visible pattern of squares or circles to break up the reflections.
- Tempura or poster paint can provide a temporary solution, particularly during spring and fall migration.
- Parachute cords placed in a pattern on the exterior of windows can create a visual barrier.
- Custom etched or frosted glass can provide a permanent solution.
“Basically, anything that disrupts the reflection of trees in the windows will work,” Canterbury said.
Read the Indianapolis Star story on Yahoo! News.
Featured image at top: Yahoo! News shared tips from UC ornithologist Ronald Canterbury on ways to prevent birds from striking your windows. Photo/Francesca Leslie
Related Stories
Wired: Is psychedelic therapy bubble about to burst?
September 9, 2022
UC postdoctoral researcher Nese Devenot talks to Wired magazine about challenges facing psychedelic therapies.
Psychedelic research renaissance
August 16, 2022
Psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin and MDMA are gaining increasing attention in scientific and medical circles because of the potential they hold for treating anxiety disorders and emotional trauma. UC's Nese Devenot explains why psychedelics are seeing a research renaissance.
NatGeo: UC discoveries featured in new series on ancient Maya
March 25, 2024
UC's research on the ancient Maya in Tikal is featured in a new National Geographic series called "The Rise and Fall of the Maya."
UC expert explains butterfly migration in new Apple TV show
April 20, 2023
UC College of Arts and Sciences biologist Patrick Guerra has a cameo in the new Apple TV series "Jane," a children's show co-created and inspired by Jane Goodall.
WVXU: Invasive plants are on rise in Cincinnati
May 2, 2023
UC botanist Denis Conover tells WVXU that some plants sold at nurseries can escape to wild forests where they outcompete native species.
BBC: Scientists discover frog that can't croak
February 6, 2023
The BBC and other international media report on the astonishing discovery of a new species of frog in Tanzania that is voiceless. UC biologist Lucinda Lawson and her research partners describe the new species in the journal PLOS ONE.
Spectrum News: Therapies make psychedelics more accessible
January 25, 2023
UC postdoctoral researcher Neşe Devenot tells Spectrum News that psychedelics can have therapeutic benefits, but she resists classifying them as medicine.
WLWT: Why Bradford pear is now banned in Ohio
February 14, 2023
WLWT-Channel 5 talks to a University of Cincinnati biology professor about Ohio's ban on the sale of Callery pear trees. Ohio hopes to protect native forests from the invasive trees.
Discover: Did giant sea lizard rule oceans 66M years ago?
October 14, 2022
UC assistant professor Takuya Konishi talks to Discover about University of Bath's discovery of a new species of mosasaur. Konishi said the specimen could be a previously discovered species.
The New York Times: This tiny snake has a big mouth
August 31, 2023
The New York Times highlighted a discovery by University of Cincinnati biologist Bruce Jayne that the Gans' egg-eater can swallow the biggest prey, relative to its size, of virtually any snake.