JACKSON, Wyo. — With winter approaching and bird feeders being filled up all over the valley, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has shared tips to reduce bird window strikes.
According to the USFWS, it’s estimated that over one billion birds are killed annually in the U.S. from collisions with glass, with 99% of fatal collisions coming from residential/urban areas and buildings less than four stories tall.
Birds can be attracted to reflections in glass, which can appear to be part of their natural habitat, such as plants and open sky. Birds can also collide with windows when they are attracted to landscaping outside the window or lights shining out from the interior.
“Sadly, while many birds that collide with windows may seem fine at first, most later die from traumatic injuries,” the USFWS said via Facebook.
The wildlife agency says that bird feeder placement and window decals can help save the lives of feathered friends. Bird feeders should be placed less than three feet from a window or greater than 30 feet away. Research shows that windows 15 to 30 feet from a feeder pose the greatest hazard to birds. Windows can also become more bird friendly by drawing or placing dots, lines or decals two inches apart in every direction.
The USFWS also suggests other affordable and creative ways to help out the birds. Applying non-toxic tempura paint patterns or artwork applied to exterior glass can reduce bird collisions for many years. Tempura paint is easily removed using vinegar and water.
External insect screens can also reduce window reflections and prevents injuries if the bird can safely bounce off the screen instead of hitting the hard glass. Net openings should be half inch or smaller, so birds don’t become caught. Screens can be attached with suction cups or eye hooks. Additionally, ultraviolet reflecting glass products with patterns are generally invisible to humans but visible to many birds species.
Another simple action to minimize bird hits on windows is to eliminate or reduce artificial lights at night.
“Most birds migrate at night, making them more vulnerable to buildings and other structures lit with artificial lights they might be attracted to, often resulting in tragic collisions, entrapment and exhaustion,” the USFWS wrote on its website.
For those who hang a bird feeder in the winter, Teton County reminds residents to keep bird feeders inaccessible to other wildlife by hanging them at least 10 feet high and four feet from supporting structures, and using a catch pan. According to the 2023 updated Teton County Land Development Regulations, bird feeders are not allowed on property “unless the bird feeder is inaccessible to any wildlife other than birds.”
Visit the USFWS’s collisions page for more ways to create bird friendly windows.
