New Law Protects Birds from Collisions
Image courtesy of Great Lakes Audubon
Up to 1 billion birds die each year from building collisions, and Chicago was named the deadliest city in the U.S. for migrating birds in a 2019 study by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Incorporating bird-friendly design and lighting can significantly reduce collision deaths. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed The Bird Safe Buildings Act, which will require the use of bird-friendly construction techniques for all new construction or renovation of Illinois state-owned buildings. Through simple adjustments to new Illinois state building projects, this new law will help protect birds on their long migration journeys.
Illinois joins Minnesota, New York City and several cities in California that have passed similar bird protection legislation: an important step toward minimizing the impact of our constructed environment on local birds.
Between 2005 and 2014, volunteer bird monitors collected more than 26,000 dead birds in the Chicago Loop, including one, banded, Black-and-White Warbler from Ontario, Canada, that died from a collision during its sixth migration from Central America through Chicago, well short of its 11-year life expectancy.
For more information, visit Audubon Great Lakes at GL.Audubon.org.
