In early October 2023, the devastating scale and impacts of bird window strikes were brought into sharp focus on the shores of Lake Michigan when 1,000 birds died overnight after colliding with Chicago's McCormick Place Lakeside Center. Now, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has learned that plans are underway to install a reputable window collision deterrent, Feather Friendly, on McCormick Place's glass.

“Our partners in Chicago have been raising the alarm about bird collisions at McCormick Place for a very long time,” said Bryan Lenz, ABC's Glass Collisions Program Director. “We are thrilled that McCormick Place's leadership has stepped up to retrofit their glass to ensure that millions of migrating wild birds will have safer passages through the city.”

The Chicago Bird Alliance (formerly Chicago Audubon Society), Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, and Chicago Ornithological Society have long voiced concerns over McCormick Place as a danger to wild birds due to its position along Lake Michigan's lakefront, an area known for its high concentration of birds during migration. They have been monitoring the building for collisions for many years, working with Willowbrook Wildlife Center to try to save surviving birds and document the massive toll that this building takes on migrating birds while also advocating for change.

The tragic event this past October put an even bigger spotlight on the convention center's window collision problem, drawing local and national media attention as well as involvement from ABC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who joined the Chicago groups in holding individual conversations with McCormick Place.

The installation of Feather Friendly represents a major step forward in reducing bird strikes in Chicago. But there is more to be done.

The next big step is to convince the city council to adopt mandatory bird-friendly building design guidelines. In 2020, the Chicago City Council passed a plan to adopt such guidelines, but ultimately created them in an optional framework that does not go far enough to prevent window collisions.

Window collisions are a major source of bird mortality, killing up to 1 billion birds in the United States each year. Birds experience the world differently. They perceive vegetation, sky, and landscapes reflected in glass to be real and attempt to fly to open spaces and habitat they glimpse on and through glass. Collisions happen on all types of buildings, from multistory commercial buildings to private residences. Fortunately, bird deaths from window collisions are largely preventable through the use of bird-friendly design and collective action to make buildings safer for birds.

Making new and existing buildings safer for birds is possible and can be cost-neutral if bird-friendly design is considered from the outset of a project. For simple guidance, including a model ordinance and top-rated resources, check out ABC's Legislative Toolkit.

Anyone who has windows can help save birds by making their home windows bird-friendly. Learn how by visiting ABC's home-friendly solutions.

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American Bird Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation. Find us on abcbirds.org, Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter (@ABCbirds).

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