Some estimates are that up to one billion birds each year are killed in collisions with windows. A new report titled, “Building Safer Cities for Birds: How Cities Are Leading the Way on Bird-Friendly Building Policy,” details the growing number of cities, municipalities, laws, and policies that are reducing deadly bird collisions with buildings. The report was published by the Law, Ethics, and Animals Program at the Yale Law School (LEAP) and the American Bird Conservancy (ABC).
Bird-friendly construction practices include:
- Glass treatments, such as coatings, fritting, and etching
- Exterior insect screens
- Exterior blinds
- Architectural details that shield large panes of glass
- Reducing light pollution
The report features five case studies of policies passed in New York, NY; Arlington County, VA; Madison, WI; Cupertino, CA; and San Francisco, CA. Since 2008, over 20 U.S. cities and municipalities have passed bird-friendly building policies.
The full report can be found here.
