Imagine that you’re sitting at your desk, typing away and then all of a sudden THUD! You hear what appears to be a substantially sized object crashing into the nearby window. But in fact, this is no object at all. Upon further investigation, you find that it was a bird that flew straight into the glass, and now their lifeless body is laying on the sidewalk outside your front entrance. It seems like an unlikely scenario, but it actually happens all the time.

In the United States alone, over one billion birds die each year from these types of glass collisions. It’s a huge problem – for both the birds and us humans. We depend on birds to keep our natural ecosystem in check by controlling bug and plant populations. But, unfortunately, hundreds of these critters are dying each year due to our increasing number of office buildings and commercial structures.

But the good news is, people are starting to take notice and put effort towards protecting birds. And you can too. In this article, we’ll discuss how to prevent birds from hitting windows with anti-collision window clings and bird safety film.

Why Do Birds Fly Into Windows?

It’s a fair question. After all, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to just fly around? Actually, as it turns out, no. Birds fly into windows essentially because they can’t tell they’re there. This happens for a number of reasons during both the daytime and nighttime hours.

During the day, the sun creates reflections on glass that makes windows seem like other objects. When birds look at the space ahead of them, they don’t see the windows at all. Instead, they see reflections of objects surrounding the building. This makes the windows look like nearby tree branches, bushes, and even patches of blue sky. This is how the birds fly unknowingly to their death.

In some instances, a bird may see its own reflection in the window. This can create issues too since birds are highly territorial creatures. They may attempt to fight the “other bird” and end up dying as a result.

At night, some birds are lured into colliding with glass because of the lights inside the building. For unknown reasons, some nocturnal species of birds are attracted to lights. This causes them to steer off their normal flight path and fly directly into glass panes.

How to Keep Birds Away from Windows

As humans, we have a responsibility to protect these innocent animals. After all, we’ve built our buildings in their habitat, so we’re to blame for all of these bird deaths. One of the best ways that we can prevent bird collisions and keep them away from windows is to install special decals or window film on our buildings.

Bird safety window films and anti-collision window clings are a cost-effective solution that can save many lives. And they impossible little to no inconvenience on the property owner. Window alert decals can simply be added to the exterior of a building to create a visual warning for birds. This way, they know to fly around buildings instead of into them.

How they work is by using subtle visual cues to break up reflections and help birds identify that the area in front of them is a no-fly zone. The films are fitted with faint patterns, markings, or textures to make glass visible. Instead of seeing a reflection, the birds notice the patterns and know not to fly into the glass.

Learn more: Bird Safety Film Specs and Benefits

Where to Buy Bird Window Tape

Bird window tape and film can be purchased from any local window tinting company in your area. However, we highly recommend having it professional installed. This prevents bubbles and creases from forming in the film and increases its life expectancy.

Get a Quote

If you’re looking for a solution for how to prevent birds from flying into windows, bird window tape is one of the best options. Call to get a quote on anti-collision window clings today.

Mike Kinsey has years of experience in project management and construction. As the Operations Manager for Window Tint Kansas City, he oversees all installs from start to finish. In addition to managing day to day operations, he is also the head of Sales and Customer Relations. Over the years, Mike has installed over 250,000 square feet of film. His experience ranges from residential window tinting to commercial projects for restaurants, hotels, office buildings, industrial and manufacturing facilities and beyond. Mike's unsurpassed expertise and positive reputation make him one of the top professionals in his field. He and his team are trusted by property owners all throughout the Kansas City metro, including the areas of Olathe, Independence, Overland Park, Chesterfield, and beyond.