How to keep birds from flying into your windows
As many as 1 billion birds die each year in the United States after striking windows, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Silent spring is coming,” Canterbury said, referencing the famous Rachel Carson 1962 book that inspired the environmental movement of the 1970s. “The urgency is now.”
Canterbury and his students have been studying the problem of fatal bird strikes in Cincinnati. While the glass of skyscrapers can stretch hundreds of feet in the air, Canterbury said the problem area is closer to the ground — in the first couple floors of a building where glass reflects trees and bushes.
Glass walkways, particularly those around landscaped courtyards, can also be deadly traps for birds that are trying to reach the safety of cover, he said.
But there are many options:
- Adding glass films featuring a visible pattern of squares or circles to break up the reflections.
- Tempura or poster paint can provide a temporary solution, particularly during spring and fall migration.
- Parachute cords placed in a pattern on the exterior of windows can create a visual barrier.
- Custom etched or frosted glass can provide a permanent solution.
“Basically, anything that disrupts the reflection of trees in the windows will work,” Canterbury said.
Read the Indianapolis Star story on Yahoo! News.
Featured image at top: Yahoo! News shared tips from UC ornithologist Ronald Canterbury on ways to prevent birds from striking your windows. Photo/Francesca Leslie
Latest UC News
- Thinking globally: Developing an international nurse anesthesia partnershipThe desire to establish an international partnership has long been a goal of the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia DAs plans were placed on hold for a few years due to the COVID pandemic, virtual communications between the two institutions continued and, last April, six UC nursing students and two faculty members traveled to Paris, France, for a long-planned week of networking and education alongside IFITS students.octor of Nursing Practice program.
- Sculptor of Pete Rose statue talks about hit king's legacySpectrum News talks to University of Cincinnati graduate Tom Tsuchiya about his sculpture of baseball legend Pete Rose. The sculpture outside Great American Ball Park has become a memorial for Cincinnatians wishing to pay respects to the late World Series champion.
- Black girls face more frequent discipline in school, new report showsA new study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office shows Black girls face more frequent and severe discipline in public schools than girls from other racial backgrounds.
- Stroke symptoms for women to look out forThe University of Cincinnati's Pooja Khatri was featured in an MSN and Huffington Post UK article discussing how symptoms of stroke can look different for women.
- Study: Drug improves effectiveness of radiation for lung cancer that has spread to the brainThe University of Cincinnati’s Debanjan Bhattacharya is first author of new research published in Cancers that found the drug AM-101 improves the effectiveness and survival rate of radiation treatment in animal models of lung cancer that has spread to the brain.
- UC student leaders take a stand against gender-based violence with revival of music eventAfter a decade hiatus, the Clifton Heights Music Festival returns with more than 40 music acts set to perform Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5. UC students leaders have worked closely with presenter Far-i-Rome Creative to revive the festival.