Second Chance Wildlife
Rehabilitation
“Until we extend the circle of our compassion to all
living things, we will not find peace.”
Albert Schweitzer
FACTS ABOUT WINDOW STRIKES
* 25%, or 225 of 917 of all bird species in the United States and Canada, are known to be killed by striking windows.
* Tiny hummingbirds can be victims of window strikes, as can large hawks and falcons.
* Window strikes may kill as many 100 million birds each year in North America alone.
* Birds have been hitting windows in North America for over 150 years.
* Gender, age, and whether the bird is a migrant or resident, appear to have little effect on a bird’s vulnerability to window strikes.
* Window strikes occur in all habitats, including urban, suburban, and rural neighborhoods.
* Windows of all sizes, heights, and orientations kill birds, including windows in parked cars and phone booths.
* Birds strike windows because they view the reflective glass surfaces as real habitats, or because they fail to see the window at all.
PREVENTING WINDOW STRIKES
1. Hang screens or netting on the outside.
2. Suspend several shiny objects in front of the window, like mylar strips, pie pans, old CDs or things that flutter in the wind.
3. Hang bird silhouettes on the window or other commercially available window clings to alert the bird to the presence of a solid object.
4. String feathers 8 inches apart on fishing line and then string these vertically across windows.