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Prevent Birds from Striking Windows

Our passive solar home–Photo by Caroline Williford

Millions of birds are killed each year when they strike windows of homes and offices. I used to worry about cats killing birds, but window strikes are a significantly bigger problem. Here at Earthaven, our passive solar homes have large, south-facing windows that can be lethal for wild birds.

I was distraught last spring when a bluebird father and the fledgling he was feeding both hit our building at high speed. I tried out a simple, inexpensive technique that was described on David Sibley’s website, and it has virtually eliminated the problem of birds striking our windows.

Just get a flourescent yellow highlighter and draw a grid on the inside of the windows. It will be virtually invisible to humans, but for birds it breaks up the reflection that otherwise induces them to fly into the windows at top speed.

Please try this solution and let me know if it works for you. (It is best to apply the highlighter when the window isn’t too dusty–otherwise the grid is more visible.) Please comment if you have had any luck with other methods of reducing bird strikes.

Birds, Cats, David Sibley

Comments (4)

  • Due to living with a better homes and garden bf who would kill me if I drew on his window with a florescent marker, I’m gonna try it on some clear window cling by writing on the window cling with a highlighter and stick that on the window with the highlighted side facing on the outside so the marker doesn’t “stain his precious Windows” when he leaves for vacation. Twill have to see if that works : ) also thought of using a clear squishy soft silicone material as window film to act like a landing cushion… too bad I don’t know where you find material like that that would stick onto the window and stay. : /

  • “I used to worry about cats killing birds, but window strikes are a significantly bigger problem“
    Window strikes are still a top 3 issue, but with over twice as many attributable deaths, outdoor cats are literally the significantly larger problem. Why needlessly downplay the top cause of avian deaths? Just seems weird.

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