“Nearly 1,000 migrating birds died after crashing into Chicago building.”
“Flaco, New York City’s beloved owl, dies after striking building.”
These tragic headlines, posted in the last six months, represent the continued public interest in how the built environment can impact local wildlife, and birds specifically. A 2014 study by Smithsonian researchers estimates that up to 1 billion birds are killed by window collisions every year in the United States alone. In May, the National Glass Association and industry members will be working to show that bird-friendly glazing is the solution to this issue, and that those solutions exist right now.
Media stories lead to further legislation, and changes to code
As NGA's Glass Magazine reported in a recent overview of bird-friendly legislation, proposed policies to prevent bird deaths have been enacted, and are still being enacted, at the federal, regional and municipal level.
Widely publicized bird deaths can spur legislation, and increase public awareness about building practices. After the death of New York City’s neighborhood owl, Flaco, state Senator Brad Hoylman announced that he will push for two pieces of state legislation, including “The Bird Safe Buildings Act,” which has now been renamed as “The Flaco Act.”
The proposed legislation would require public, state-owned buildings to incorporate building practices to reduce bird deaths. New York City’s Local Law 15 already requires all new, privately-owned construction and major renovations to utilize bird-friendly glazing in all buildings. Hoylman-Sigal is planning to have both acts voted on by June, according to CBS News reporting.
According to recent reporting by WTTW, bird advocates in Chicago are also disappointed by the city’s sustainable development policy, due its lack of requirements for bird-friendly building. The city, known as the most dangerous for birds, received negative attention for a mass bird death event last fall, where 1,000 migrating birds died in building collisions during a single day.
Bird-friendly resources
NGA responds with advocacy and education
NGA includes bird-safe glass among its 2024 advocacy priorities. Given how much public interest and movement there is on preventing bird deaths through the built environment, it behooves the industry to get involved. Industry stakeholders and our members will be going to Capitol Hill May 14 and 15 during NGA’s Glass & Glazing Advocacy Days to educate and inform federal legislators on how architectural glass can prevent bird deaths.
We will be asking representatives to sponsor the “Federal Bird Safe Buildings Act,” originally introduced in June, 2023. This legislation is designed to reduce bird fatalities by requiring bird-safe materials and design features in new construction of public buildings.
NGA will also be educating representatives on the context of bird strikes and why many codes that are regionally implemented don’t offer consistency to builders. As part of planned conversations with representatives, leadership and industry members will be sharing NGA’s best practices for bird-friendly glazing design to help shape lawmakers’ understanding of how integral glass is in solving this issue.