Surprised by how many birds hit windows each year

I was reading up on backyard safety tips last week and came across a stat from the American Bird Conservancy that stopped me cold. Turns out up to 1 billion birds die from window collisions every year in the U.S. alone. I had no idea the number was that high. I've since put some simple decals on my big back window and moved my feeders closer to the house to reduce the risk. Has anyone else tried something that actually works to stop birds from hitting your windows?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_grant331mo ago

That stat about 1 billion birds is just staggering, isn't it? I've been curious about the decals you mentioned. Do you think the ones that reflect UV light work better than the basic silhouette stickers, or is that more of a marketing thing?

ivanlewis1mo ago

...and I think the UV stuff is definitely more than just marketing. From what I've read, birds can see UV light, so those decals might actually catch their attention better than plain silhouettes. But the key is placement and coverage either way. You can't just slap one sticker on a big window and expect it to work. The research I've seen says you need decals every 2 to 4 inches apart to really break up that reflection. So even the best UV decal won't help if you don't put enough of them up. Have you tried any yet, or are you still looking into what to buy?