Building Code Trend: birds

Bird-building collisions cause the death of more than 1 billion birds a year.  Regulatory possibilities to clear sidewalks of bird carcasses include building codes with bird friendly provisions; state laws like Illinois which in 2021 passed a law requiring all  new state-owned buildings to incorporate netting, screens, shutters and other bird-friendly features;  leaving it to the Feds to create a permitting process under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act within the Department of U.S. Fish and Wildlife; let the locals handle it like in 2013  when Oakland became the 3rd city to adopt a bird ordinance which requires the application of bird-friendly glazing to at least 90% of windows and glass between the ground and 60 feet above ground, turn out nighttime architectural lights, install motion sensors or timers so that they can be programmed to turn off between 11 p.m. and sunrise, and minimize roof antennas and other rooftop structures that create additional collision risks; or private sector action e.g. the owners of Chicago’s McCormick Place are installing decals with little polka dots on the windows to reduce collisions. 

Route Fifty | As deadly bird collisions with buildings mount, cities look for solutions