Birds and Buildings

THUDD.
Something hit the glass window of the office building. In the split second before turning towards where the sound came from, my thoughts came out with a sad shaking of the head, "hmm... yet another bird".. Chances are less that it  would be  something else, to hit the 4th floor.

 This time I saw feathers flying around in the breeze just when I turned. That made it a 'striking' sight, even though the action was missed  and the bird sout of sight.

Been happening a few times since last week.

Made me remember reading about bird-deaths by striking glass panes and windows on buildings in Chicago way back in year 2000.

Chicago is known for its abundance of 'original' modern architectural varieties, the city which pioneered the use of steel-frame and large glass panes, and Came Up with some of the first modern skyscrapers.

One day, was marvelling at those, doing the down-town river cruise. They say, you can see some buildings literally 'reflecting' the history of  American  Architecture. 

Later on, was seeing another side of it. It was striking to read that  hundred-of-thousands of migratory birds die every year  in Chicago alone, striking the glass on high-rises on their path or distracted from their path by the lights. Approximately one billion birds are killed every year in the United States, from hitting windows

 Links with related info:

( New York dims lights to aid birds)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4372360.stm

http://www.birdsandbuildings.org/

http://www.birdsandbuildings.org/faqs.html

2. Why am I just hearing about this now? Is it a new problem?

Birds have been dying through collisions with windows for as long as we've had windows that reflected trees and sky. The problem grew dramatically throughout the 20th Century as building designs included larger and larger areas of glass.

3. Why don't birds see glass?

No one knows. What we do know is that approximately 225 different species have been documented striking windows. The good news is that birds do see ultra-violet light that humans do not. Research is underway to better understand the options this may allow for windows.

4. How many birds die from hitting windows?

Approximately one billion birds are killed every year in the United States, per experts like Muhlenberg College Professor Dan Klem who has done extensive analysis for three decades. Birds killed include healthy and sick, large and small, common and endangered.

How many of any given species are killed on a continent-wide basis is not known. However, we do have anecdotal reports that indicate how serious the problem can be. On one university campus, for example, the entire population of hummingbirds was killed. They did not die in vain, however: The event motivated the school to ensure that their buildings are now bird-friendly.

10. What about lights? I read that lights are part of the problem.

Artificial lights are a very big problem. Birds are drawn to lights (like moths to a flame). Scientists can only speculate why but the fact is well-documented.

Birds fly into or around the lights incessantly until they fall, exhausted or near death, to the rooftop or ground. Janitors, as well as independent sightings, have verified that on some nights, especially in foggy, overcast conditions, thousands of birds may be mesmerized by the lights of a single building. Across an entire migration season, the death toll may be in the tens of thousands at some buildings.

Long-term scientific research at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center has proven that there is an 80% reduction in bird fatalities when the lights are turned out.