Have you ever heard a bird strike a window?  Have you ever found a dead or injured bird in your back yard or seen evidence that a bird has struck your window, leaving feathers and dust on the glass? 
 
In 2014, an analysis of 23 different studies estimated that between 365 and 988 MILLION birds die every year in the United States after colliding with windows.  That breaks down to 1,000,000 to more than 3,000,000 birds every day.  Every day.
 
44% of these fatalities resulted from collisions with windows of residential structures of one to three stories, 56% from flying into windows of low-rise buildings of four to eleven stories, and less than 1% involved high-rise buildings of twelve stories or more.
 
Window strikes are the second leading cause of fatalities for birds, cat predation being the first.  Birds don’t see glass.  They see the reflected tree as they search for a place to perch or they look right through the house to another window and think they can fly through.  
 
Many of our homes in the Las Vegas valley are treated with reflective film to help us conserve energy.  This can have deadly consequences for birds.  However, there are many solutions available to keep birds safe.
 
For all you creative do-it-yourself types you can paint a pattern on your windows with tempura paints.  We have very little rain to wash away your masterpiece and you can easily remove and repaint as needed.  You can make it a fun family project with your children.  If not paint, use a bar of soap.  
 
If you don’t want to paint or soap the glass you can fashion screens from garden netting.  Paracord can be used to hang down or use string and tie feathers every few inches that will create a visual cue for birds that they can’t fly through.
 
Putting solar screens on windows is always a good option as it is energy efficient for you, too.  There are many products available such as window tapes and decals.  These need to be placed on the outside of the window, though.  Making your own paper decals and taping them inside may not be very effective because of the reflectivity of glass.

Report window collisions
 
Please follow the links below for more information.  There is information on how to help a bird injured in a window strike as well.

Tips for Reducing Window Strikes at Home

How to Keep Birds From Hitting Windows

Why Birds Hit Windows—And How You Can Help Prevent It

To read up on the studies done please follow this link:

Bird–building collisions in the United States: Estimates of annual mortality and species vulnerability

To see the Acopian BirdSavers DIY project done at the Desert Nation Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center click here.