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Lights Out in Minnesota
P R O JE CT B I R D S AF E
Joanna Eckles
Project BirdSafe Coordinator
Bird-building collisions – What’s the impact?
Many migratory bird populations around the world are suffering population declines
from the pressures of habitat loss, pollution, pesticides and predators. In addition,
bird collisions with windows are a growing cause for concern. On-going research in
Chicago, where over 30,000 birds collided with a single building over a 20 year
period, is documenting the magnitude of the problem. Research there also helped
reveal a simple and effective solution; turning out unnecessary lights reduced bird
mortality from collisions by over 80%.
In the Twin Cities, Project BirdSafe has been launched as a collaborative effort to
monitor the extent of the bird collision problem in Minnesota, and design and
implement potential solutions.
“Millions of birds perish
every year from crashing
into glass windows. After
decades of inattention,
biologists, builders, and
architects are joining
together on solutions that
will benefit both people
and the birds.”
Clear & Present Danger,
Audubon 3/2004
How big is the problem?
Daniel Klem Jr., a biologist at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, estimates that
every year over 100 million birds die as a result of hitting glass in the United States.
Klem's studies show that glass in any form - large windows or small, in tall buildings
or modest homes - is a potential killer.
(Klem, J. Field Ornithology 61 (1) 1990, www.flap.org)
Other sources quote figures from 100 – 700 million deaths a year from aerial
collisions with man-made structures. (http://birds.cornell.edu, www.partnersinflight.org/)
While scientists continue to debate the numbers, most agree that bird collisions are
a source of potentially significant and indiscriminate mortality for birds, many of
which are already in serious decline due to other pressures.
Common Yellowthroat
found injured St. Paul
What kind of birds are they?
Over 250 species migrate through Minnesota, many of them small songbirds such
as warblers, thrushes, tanagers and sparrows that migrate at night. Some of these
are threatened species whose populations already show steep declines. Ironically,
common city birds such as pigeons and European house sparrows are infrequent
collision victims. This may be due to those species’ adaptations for living among
buildings.
Project Bird Safe _____________________________________________________
Project Bird Safe is a joint effort by Audubon Minnesota, the Department of Natural
Resources Non-Game Wildlife Program, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, the
University of Minnesota and the Bell Museum of Natural History, the National Parks
Service and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The project includes four primary
components to address bird-window collisions:
1. A Lights Out Program for Minneapolis/St Paul and other Minnesota cities
2. A building monitoring program to determine the types of birds affected here
3. Research to analyze bird collisions with building features
4. Educational programs to increase awareness of the issue among architects
Joanna Eckles  Project BirdSafe  Audubon Minnesota  651-739-9332 x 11  mn.audubon.org  [email protected]
Think of it as "saving two
birds with one stone. It
saves energy and it saves
wildlife, and it's all part of our
commitment to make our
buildings as environmentally
responsible as possible.
BOMA/NY prides itself on
keeping our skyline shining
bright--in particular, those
New York icons that
symbolize our city across
the world. But we also pride
ourselves on listening,
learning and leading.”
Roberta McGowan, BOMA/NY
Real Estate Weekly Oct 5, 2005
Doug Stotz, [Chicago]
Field Museum
ornithologist, estimates
that the “Lights Out”
program saves the lives of
over ten thousand
warblers, tanagers,
thrushes, and other
migratory birds in Chicago
each year. His studies
show that turning out
lights reduces bird
mortality by 80%.
Lights Out in Minnesota
Our program is modeled after successful programs in Toronto, Chicago, New York
and Detroit. BirdSafe – Lights Out will focus on working with building owners,
managers, employees and tenants to extinguish exterior architectural lighting, and
lobby and office lighting in urban buildings late at night during migration periods.
This action has the potential to dramatically reduce the number of bird fatalities
caused by city lights. In addition it will save money and electricity while reducing
carbon emissions.
Why Lights Out?
Most birds migrate at night and can be drawn off course by lighted structures in
their flight path, regardless of height. Scientists believe the lighting disrupts the
birds’ ability to navigate. Bright lights and skyglow around buildings attracts birds
into the building area where they face many hazards.
“Birds migrating at night are strongly attracted to, or at least trapped by, sources of
artificial light, particularly during periods of inclement weather. Approaching the
lights of lighthouses, floodlit obstacles, communication towers, or tall lighted
buildings, they become vulnerable to collisions with the structures themselves. If
collision is avoided, birds are still at risk of death or injury. Once inside a beam of
light, birds are reluctant to fly out of the lighted area into the dark, and often
continue to flap around in the beam of light until they drop to the ground with
exhaustion. A secondary threat resulting from their aggregation at lighted structures
is their increased vulnerability to predation. The difficulty of finding food once
trapped in an urban environment may present an additional threat.” (www.flap.org)
www.chicagoaudubon.org
Lights Out dates and times
 Each spring from March 15 to May 31
 Each fall from August 15 to October 31
 Between midnight and dawn
Lights Out dates are based on known migration periods for birds traveling through
Minnesota on their way to and from their northern breeding grounds. Bird-building
collisions can happen at any time of the day and year but tend to increase here
during migration.
What to do? ________________________________________________________
 Turn off exterior decorative lighting
o Extinguish spot and flood-lights
o Substitute strobe lighting where possible
 Reduce lobby and atrium lighting wherever possible
 Turn off interior lighting especially on upper floors
o Substitute task and area lighting for workers staying late
 Down-shield exterior lighting or limit to ground level
Interior lighting at ground level
proves very confusing to fallen
birds. © FLAP
While all unnecessary lighting should be reduced, the exterior decorative lights and
lighted upper stories are a priority as they have the ability to disorient night
migrating birds, especially in inclement weather.
Civic Pride
While we take pride in our beautiful city skyline we can also take great pride in this
community effort to save birds, save energy and reduce pollution.
Joanna Eckles  Project BirdSafe  Audubon Minnesota  651-739-9332 x 11  mn.audubon.org  [email protected]