What Zion National Park Puts On Its Windows To Protect Birds

There's nothing like the sound of birds chirping in your Utah yard. It can also be disheartening to hear one thump into your window and find a flurry of feathers on your patio. Because birds see ultra violet light, there is a simple solution.

The Tragic Impact of Window Collisions on Birds

Hundreds of millions of birds die by smacking into glass every year. Clear glass is a problem.as the birds think they can fly in. Far more are killed by reflective glass that makes it look like there is open sky in front of them.

brown wooden house covered with snow during daytime — Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash

The solution is surprisingly simple and nearly invisible to the human eye. Zion National Park has been using this solution for the windows on the visitor's center and other buildings in the park.

Innovative Solutions for Bird Safety: Window Films

Birds see ultra violet light that humans cannot. A film that can go over the windows with dots or lines that reflect the ultra violet spectrum, warn the bird that there is a solid surface in front of them and not a place to fly into.

It isn't terribly expensive. A roll of that is 30 inches by 5 feet will run $65.00 from BirdStrikeWindowFilm.com. That will cover the window that is the biggest problem in your house or cabin.

However, if it is a large industrial building, that is going to get costly. Maybe just invest in one big ultraviolet image on the biggest window that looks like a giant cat or a hungry hawk that might make little birds keep their distance.