Reducing Bird Collisions with Buildings and Building Glass Best Practices

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has responsibility to protect and conserve migratory birds as part of four international treaties (Mexico, Japan, Canada, and Russia) and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. As part of this mission, the Service is working to address human-caused sources of mortality by developing and providing information on options for reducing hazards to migratory birds. The importance of reducing human-caused sources of mortality was highlighted by Rosenberg et al. (2019), who quantified the three billion bird reduction in North American populations since 1970. Bird population declines can harm ecosystem integrity and reduce economic and ecological services. Proactive efforts to prevent further population declines and to recover populations not only restore lost economic and ecological services but also reduce the necessity for additional species protections and related costly management actions. The magnitude of bird losses needs a strong response and an increased focus on tangible actions that result in measurable conservation outcomes. Bird collisions associated with building glass and building lighting are hazards with potential collision avoidance and minimization options. This document is intended to provide straight-forward options for reducing bird collisions with buildings by offering recommendations for simple, no cost building occupant best practices; low cost avoidance and minimization actions; and strategies for new buildings, building renovations, and building retro-fits.