Protecting birds from building collisions during spring migration
April 17, 2025—Bird migration is underway and the forecast is for the first big night of spring, tomorrow, Friday, April 18. Birds migrate at night so please help them by turning out your outdoor lights.
Bird deaths from building collisions total billions annually in North America. This presents a critical concern in a nation where bird populations have declined by 30% in recent decades. Migrating birds face particular danger when disoriented by urban lighting at night. You can make a significant difference through several straightforward actions.
How You Can Help
- Register for Lights Out Alerts: We use Colorado State University’s AeroEco Lab forecasts to notify you when large bird migrations will pass over Connecticut. During these events, please switch off non-essential outdoor lighting between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sign up HERE to receive Lights Out alerts via text.
- Reduce Lighting During Migration Seasons: Even without specific alerts, dimming lights during these peak migration periods helps protect birds: In general, it helps birds if you turn out your lights from April 15 through May, and from August 15 through November 15.
- Document Bird Casualties: If you discover a dead bird, document it using the iNaturalist app or report it to the Yale Peabody Museum. This data helps researchers monitor light pollution impacts.
Your participation makes a difference. Research demonstrates that reducing lighting significantly decreases bird fatalities. Turning off your lights directly protects migratory birds passing through our state.
Connecticut Audubon participates in the Lights Out Connecticut coalition, which successfully advocated for bird-protective legislation two years ago. We will inform you about future opportunities to support stronger protective policies.
For additional information and to take the Lights Out pledge.
In addition to turning out your lights, there are many things you can do at home to make your windows safer for birds. We invite you to watch the video below, from a February Young Gifted and Wild About Birds presentation by Kaitlyn Parkins of American Bird Conservancy.
Her presentation starts around the 7 minutes and 5 second mark and lasts for about 40 minutes. It starts with:
- The Science of Bird Collisions
- Which Buildings Are the Worst?
- Why Do Birds Hit Glass?
Finding Solutions starts at 22:25. She reviews the testing that ABC Birds has done.
Principles of Collision Prevention starts at 25:30. It includes How to Make Glass Bird-friendly.
Collision Prevention “Rules” start at 32:30.
Practical Solutions for Prevention starts at 33:02
