Public Health Office, Palma de Mallorca, Spain ©Boris Pena

Glass Collisions: Preventing Bird Window Strikes

Birds collide with glass because they see the world differently than people do. These collisions kill up to 1 billion birds each year in the United States, a conservation crisis that ABC is tackling head on.

Glass collisions take a staggering toll on birds, threatening common and rare species alike. Solving a problem of this size requires big thinking, bold ideas, and collective action.

ABC works on multiple fronts to reduce bird collisions, from advocating for collision-reducing legislation and evaluating new glass products to educating architects, developers, and homeowners and much more.

Together we can build a future in which glass is no longer a leading threat to birds.


Preventing Bird Collisions at Home

If a bird has collided with your home, you are not alone as up to 1 billion birds die each year following window collisions in the United States. The good news is that you can install effective solutions to prevent future collisions.

American Kestrel male hovering. Photo by Paul Rossi

How to Design and Legislate Bird-Friendly Buildings

Whether you want to reduce bird collisions at an existing building, design a new bird-friendly building, or promote bird-friendly building legislation, ABC has solutions.

Products That Prevent Collisions

Looking for glass for a new building, or a solution to fix existing windows? Search our comprehensive material database to find the right product.

Bird Collision FAQ: Answers From the Experts

ABC's collisions experts, Christine Sheppard, Ph.D., and Bryan Lenz, Ph.D., answer 14 of the most frequently asked questions about bird strikes.

Photo of hummingbird

Why Birds Hit Glass

Birds don't understand the concept of glass as an invisible barrier that can also be a mirror. They take what they see literally: Glass appears to be habitat they can fly into, whether that habitat is reflected or visible through glass.


Resources

ABC has developed a range of bird-friendly building resources, including a research bibliography, position papers, and more.

 


Research & Testing

Learn more about ABC's research and evaluation program, which safely uses real birds to test bird-safe glass collision solutions and ensure their effectiveness.

Collisions Fast Fact

How Many Birds Are Killed by Windows Each Year?

In the United States alone, up to one billion birds die from glass collisions annually. Learn how you can help prevent collisions today.

 

Donate to Stop Collisions

ABC is leading the charge to reduce bird-and-glass collisions — but we can't do it without you! Please sustain our efforts with a generous donation to ABC's Glass Collisions program today.

News from ABC's Collisions Team

Bird Collisions on ABC's Blog

News, updates, and insights from ABC's window collisions experts.

Acknowledgments

We thank the Leon Levy Foundation and David Walsh for their support of American Bird Conservancy's Bird-Smart Glass program.