![\"https:\/\/www.fireislandnews.com\/features\/building-with-a-birds-eye-view-on-long-island\/\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-1286966769.jpg\")
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The numbers are daunting. Over one billion birds die from glass collisions every year in the United States.<\/p>\n
Photo: Getty Images.<\/p>\n
Every year, over one billion birds die from window collisions in the United States alone, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In a recent study completed by the American Bird Conservancy<\/a>, Fordham University, and Stony Brook University<\/a>, they found that just 40% of birds that collide with glass survive. So why is it so common for birds to fly into windows and glass?<\/p>\n \u201cBirds don\u2019t see glass; clean glass is virtually invisible,\u201d explained Marc Kramer, the co-founder of Birding by Bus<\/a>. \u201cBirds don\u2019t understand the concepts of windows and see the space where glass is as just another area they can pass through. Sometimes, windows on the outside reflect an image of the trees and sky that surround it\u2014birds may see these reflections as more natural space and think they can fly through.\u201d<\/p>\n Kramer, a Long Island native and Cornell University graduate, is a lifelong birder and veterinarian. He travels all over the world with his wife, Eliana Kramer\u2014also the co-founder of Birding by Bus\u2014as a guide and nature lover.<\/p>\n Fortunately, bird deterrent systems and technologies have been developed to help prevent these senseless avian fatalities. One of the most popular is Feather Friendly<\/a>. Developed 18 years ago, this bird deterrent technology is a set of special markers applied to the outside of windows to break up the glass\u2019s reflectiveness. This helps birds recognize that an object or barrier they can\u2019t fly through is present.<\/p>\n \u201cPersonally, I feel Feather Friendly markers are currently the best available solution for preventing window strikes by birds,\u201d stated Kramer. \u201cAesthetically, it\u2019s the least noticeable to our eyes yet visible to the birds.\u201d<\/p>\n In a case study conducted by Another Wild Goose Chase<\/a>, Feather Friendly reduced bird strikes by over 95%.<\/p>\n \u201cI think towns and cities should mandate bird-window collision deterrents for commercial buildings where bird losses due to window strikes can be high\u2014it should become standard practice and enforced by local laws,\u201d stated Kramer. With the proven success rate and the number of bird deaths increasing, the question of why deterrents aren\u2019t mandated is definitely worth pondering.<\/p>\n According to Kramer, birds like warblers, thrushes, sparrows, and hummingbirds are the most common crashers. Gray catbirds, brown creepers, American goldfinches, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, hawks, and doves also frequently collide with glass windows.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize the extensive impacts of something like a bird-window crash that may not seem like it\u2019s a big deal,\u201d said Kramer. \u201cWith all these unnecessary bird deaths, our environment is slowly becoming quieter without the sounds of birdsong. Birds are essential environmental indicators, telling us about the health of our environment as a whole, while also playing pivotal roles in pest control, seed dispersal, pollination of plants, and food webs; when we lose them, it weakens the ecosystem\u2019s health.\u201d<\/p>\n The importance of birds in the environment really drives home the point that more is not being done to help, such as making deterrent systems mandatory.<\/p>\n While leading birding tours around the world, Kramer has seen several countries doing their part to help stop avian collisions. While in Bogot\u00e1, Colombia, at the National Botanical Garden Greenhouses (all glass buildings), he noticed they were covered entirely in bird-friendly window markers. In Costa Rica, Sky Adventures Arenal (a sky adventure park) was also doing its part to protect its windows.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was impressive to see they are trying to make a difference,\u201d said Kramer.<\/p>\n Feather Friendly is not the only available deterrent system. Other options include Acopian bird savers<\/a>, UV-treated glass, and anything that breaks up reflections from windows. Whatever the pick may be, it is clear that these deterrent systems should be much more popular than they are and, in some cases, even mandatory.<\/p>\n That said, in 2019, when Andrew Cuomo was the Governor of New York State, he vetoed<\/a> bill S.25B\/A.3410B<\/a>, which aimed to establish a 15-member council within the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to better study solutions for bird-building strikes.\u00a0At the time, Cuomo cited associated costs as his reason for rejecting the bill.<\/p>\n That same year, New York City enacted Local Law 15<\/a>, which mandates that new construction and major renovations use materials that reduce bird collisions in privately owned buildings within the city.<\/p>\n Currently, another state-level bill, the Feathered Lives Also Count Act<\/a> (Senate Bill S7098A, also known as the FLACO<\/a> Act), is advancing through the state legislature and would require bird-friendly designs for new or significantly altered state-owned buildings.<\/p>\n How will the governor respond when the bill reaches her desk?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Shoshanna McCollum contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The numbers are daunting. 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\u201cPersonally, I feel Feather Friendly markers are currently the best available solution for preventing window strikes by birds. Aesthetically, it\u2019s the least noticeable to our eyes yet visible to the birds,\u201d says Marc Kramer.Photo courtesy of Marc Kramer.<\/p>\n