Bird Safety Window Treatments

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An estimated 300 million to 1 billion birds die each year from collisions with glass on buildings, from skyscrapers to homes. Unfortunately, birds cannot distinguish a reflection of a tree in your window from the real thing. Even if a bird recovers and flies away after striking a window, it could still die later as a result of the collision.

Birdie Beware Bird Safety Window Treatment

The use of a single window decal, such as the silhouette of a hawk, is perceived by a flying bird as a shape, not a hawk. It will merely fly around the shape to avoid it, and will hit the glass anyway.

It has been found that when tape or other material is applied to the exterior surface of a window, birds will avoid flying into the window, but for it to work, the material needs to be spaced no further apart than the following: either run horizontal stripes every two inches, or run vertical stripes every four inches. In either case, the tape needs to be at least 1/4" wide.

In addition to tape and films, other methods to protect birds from hitting your windows include the use of netting stretched over a frame placed a few inches away from the glass, or fishing line or ribbons hung vertically at least every four inches apart, also a few inches away from the glass.

Some other simple solutions may help in certain cases, such as closing the curtains on a particular window, placing bird feeders far away from the window, moving an indoor plant away from the window, or turning off a light near a window that is problematic at night.

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