Save the Birds!: How to Prevent Window Strikes

It began like any other morning. I was bundled up in some cozy pajamas enjoying a mug of tea in my kitchen, when all of a sudden I heard a sickening thud. A bird had flown straight into the window. The sudden and unexpected sound set my heart racing. As I cautiously peered out the window to assess the damage, I fully expected to see the dead body of the small, fragile bird crushed upon impact. The bird was there, but appeared to be alive. Breathing heavily and staying where it was below the window, it was likely in shock. When I checked back later, the bird had flown away. However, some decidedly morbid research on the internet informed me that the bird would likely die from internal bleeding.

This bird, sadly, is just one of the up to one billion birds that die annually in the United States from striking glass windows, according to the American Bird Conservancy.

While this is one of the most costly threats to bird populations, the American Bird Conservancy also notes that it is a relatively easy problem to solve. Their site lists a variety of relatively inexpensive homeowner products that can prevent bird strikes. For the more frugal and less formal among us, myself included, there exist some simple DIY prevention methods, as outlined in Bird Watcher’s Digest. These methods include suspending tree branches in front of frequently struck windows, applying window decals, stickers, or tape, and suspending something unusual and bright like a pie pan, aluminum foil, or holiday decorations in front of the window. The general premise behind these strike prevention methods is to break up the reflective ability of large expanses of glass.

Generally speaking, windows readily reflect their surroundings, thereby creating the false impression of continued forests or open skies, which birds unknowingly seek to fly into.

While not technically a form of waste in our daily lives, I was inspired by this unfortunate encounter to educate others on ways to prevent window strikes and hopefully save more birds from meeting a similar fate. After all, living more harmoniously with the natural world is undoubtedly a facet of greener living.

And so, after researching bird strikes and common methods of prevention, I opted for the DIY route, fashioning some seasonally-appropriate snowflake window decals. I thought that paper snowflakes would be an easy and quick fix to my newfound bird problem. However, it turns out that despite my many winters in grade school crafting these delightful paper snowflakes, I simply could not remember how to make one. Admittedly humbled, I looked up a YouTube tutorial and had to follow it step by step, ultimately producing several lackluster albeit acceptable snowflakes. I then taped these up to the windows in question, spacing them apart in a way that would break up seemingly expansive reflections.

The goal with the decals is to disrupt the reflected portion of the window, so that the spaces available seem unappealingly claustrophobic or too small to fly through.
Although initially infuriating, the snowflake crafting was actually fun and nostalgic. I used recycled paper from discarded print-outs (reduce, reuse recycle!), thereby turning waste into tasteful and functional crafts.

If there is a window at your home that is prone to bird strikes, I highly recommend crafting decals for all the seasons, be it snowflakes in the Winter, flowers in the Spring, leaves in the Fall, and perhaps suns or some other seasonally-themed idea for the Summer. You can also craft bird silhouette cut outs as an added deterrent (birds feel threatened by other birds).

The Humane Society of the United States lists some of the aforementioned prevention methods in addition to more ideas such as using window screens, external shutters, and interior shades or curtains to prevent bird strikes. 

Birding is one of the most popular and fastest-growing outdoor hobbies. Many individuals enjoy simply watching birds from their windows. Even if you don’t birdwatch yourself, you’d probably prefer not to have birds crashing into your windows and littering the perimeter of your house with their corpses.

Regardless of your affinity for birdwatching, bird-proofing your windows can offer low-cost, high-impact options to exist less destructively in our world. It is with this goal in mind, that I encourage you to get your craft on and help conserve the population of birds currently losing their lives to preventable window strikes.

Additionally, it is always encouraged to convene more regularly with the natural world, so if you or someone you know would like to get more involved in bird watching, check out Audubon’s tips for How to Start Birding. Audubon’s website is also a great resource for learning more about birds in general.

Have you had a bird strike your window before? Are you excited about the prospect of crafting or installing deterrents? Do you love birding / observing wildlife? Whatever your stance, I hope this post encourages you to take preventative measures before the bird strikes occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, questions, and progress in the comments section below. Best of luck on your journey toward greener living.

~Sam