Feather Friendly dots retrofit on commercial windows stop bird collisions. Photo by Dee Renee Ericks

 Bird Collision Solutions

for Your Business

Birds do not perceive glass like humans do. They do not recognize glass as a solid object. Glass is a problem because it is confusing for birds as an invisible obstacle and as a reflective surface.

Collisions occur when birds fly towards natural reflections in window glass, where they see clouds, sky, or vegetation.

Glass is an indiscriminate killer, culling the healthiest members of a population as well as the weakest. Many of the victims are songbirds whose populations are already in decline.

Retrofitting Windows

in an existing building is becoming easier with today’s products.

Bird-building collisions can happen at any time of the day and year, but tend to increase during migration and when young birds start flying. Therefore, the most crucial times for these measures are during spring and fall migration and in the breeding season.

Products Available for Retrofit:

Mirrored structures

Placed in a natural setting, mirrored structures have become a popular international architectural trend, especially for vacation short‑term rentals. These may be marketed as:

• mirrored “invisible” cabins,

• reflective tiny homes,

• glass “forest pods”, or

• mirror‑clad saunas and spas.

While visually striking, these structures pose a significant and often unrecognized threat to birds. Their reflective surfaces mirror surrounding habitat — forest canopy, sky, and vegetation — creating the illusion of open flight paths. Birds interpret these reflections as real habitat and collide with the surfaces at high speed.

Mirrors create perfect, high‑contrast reflections of forest canopy and sky.

• Birds interpret these as actual habitat, not glass.

• Unlike windows, mirrors often cover entire walls.

• Cabins are placed in prime habitat — forest edges, riparian zones, meadows.

• Many are marketed as “invisible,” which is exactly the problem.

This is a collision‑risk profile far worse than typical residential glass.

Mirrored structures in natural areas pose extreme collision risks. There are no known solutions that would alleviate avian injury or death.

Commercial Glass is Particularly Hazardous for Birds

The architectural features that make modern commercial buildings attractive for businesses make them deadly for birds. Floor-to-ceiling windows, use of reflective glass, and glass walkways create the perfect conditions for bird strikes.

In commercial buildings, the extensive use of mirrored or tinted glass which make vivid reflections of sky and vegetation, causes birds to interpret those as safe flight corridors. Glass walkways between buildings create “tunnel effects” where birds attempt to fly through what appears to them to be open space.

Landscaped courtyards surrounded by glass walls become attractive habitat areas that birds can enter but struggle to escape safely. The prevalence of night lighting in commercial buildings also disrupts nocturnal migrants, drawing them into dangerous collision zones. 

A “Bird Friendly Building Design” pamphlet by The American Bird Conservancy, assists developers, architects, building owners, regulators and anyone else looking for detailed information on the collisions issue and designing structures to minimize bird deaths. You can download a free pdf.

There are no known solutions for bird safety in the use of highly mirrored, manufactured materials. Take a look at bird-safe design standards.

Designers and architects who are aware of bird-window collision hazards, can use creative techniques and materials to reduce or eliminate collisions. These choices are best incorporated into the original design of a building.

Smart landscaping around commercial buildings can significantly reduce bird strikes. Removing or relocating vegetation that reflect in nearby glass and carefully planting trees and bushes so that they don’t channel birds toward glass surfaces, can help create a safer area for both resident and migrant bird populations. 

Commercial property managers are increasingly implementing bird-strike reduction programs centered around “Lights Out” initiatives. These are coordinated efforts to reduce artificial lighting during peak migration periods (March 1-June 15th and August 15-November 30th). These programs represent one of the most effective strategies for protecting migrating birds plus offer savings in the cost of electricity.

Audubon encourages every community to take actions that benefit both birds and people.