WHEN BIRDS CRASH INTO BUILDINGS

Although, it was day time, the woodpecker flew straight into a skyscraper and plummeted to the ground. The bird did not see the glass. A kind pedestrian found the dazed bird and watched over it, hoping that would revive. His hopes soon realized when the bird chirped, stood up, ruffled its feathers and flew away.

Sadly, not all the birds will survive such collisions unharmed. In fact, of those that fly into houses, half die. Studies indicates that in the United States alone, more than 100 million birds die annually after crashing into buildings of various kinds, say the Audubon Society. Some researchers believe that the future may be closer to a billion! Why, though, do birds fly into buildings? And can anything be done to make their life on the wing safer?

THE KILLER-GLASS and LIGHT.
Glass spells dangers for birds. When windows are clean and clear, birds often see only what is on the other side, which may include greenery and sky. As a result, unsuspecting birds sometimes fly straight into the glass at full speed. Also, they may see decorative plants inside glass lobbies or homes and try to land on them. Ornithologist and biology professor Dr. Daniel Klem, Jr., believes that more birds are killed by flying into windows than any other cause related to human activities, except perhaps habitat destruction.

Some birds are especially vulnerable to crashes. Most migratory songbirds, for instance, fly toward their destination at night and navigate at least in part, by the stars. As a result, they may become confuse by bright light on tall buildings. Indeed, some birds become so disoriented that they have flown around aimlessly until they dropped from exhaustion.

THE IMPACT ON BIRD POPULATION.
Just one tall building in Chicago Illinois, U.S.A., caused an average of about 1,480 deaths of one report. Thus, over a period of 14 consecutive years, that one building caused the death of some 20,700 birds. Of no doubt much higher.
Furthermore, in Australia in one recent year, glass killed about 30 swift parrots of which only 2,000 remains.

Of the birds that survive building strikes, many are injured or weakened. This can be especially hazardous for migratory birds. If they are hurt and come down within concentration of buildings, they may die of hunger or predation by other animals, some of which have learned to exploit this occasional food source.

CAN BUILDINGS BE MADE FRIENDLY?
For birds to avoid flying into glass, they need to see it and recognize it as a solid object. To that end, homeowners have to sacrifice their view somewhat by attaching decals, stickers, or other readily visible matter to the outside of windows subject to bird strikes.

Some measures may reduce the death toll by as much as 80 percent, saving millions of birds annually. But the basic problem likely will not go away, for people love lights and glass. Hence, organizations devoted to the welfare of birds, such as Audubon Society, are attempting to persuade architects and developers to be more sensitive to the needs of the natural world.