"No matter how "green" a building is in using recyclable building materials, addressing energy conservation, hydrology, and erosion, it is not "green" to me if it kills birds, unintended victims that are the result of strikes against clear panes with
habitat visible on the other side, or against reflective panes offering an illusion of the facing habitat and sky." -- Daniel Klem Jr.

Site Location and Landscaping

Building site location and landscape design create a threat to bird safety primarily through the reflections of surrounding vegetation, manmade building features, and the nearby water sources that attract birds to the windows and glass facades

Recommendations for how can a building coexist with a surrounding landscape and promote bird health:

-Conduct a preconstruction site analysis
            -Consider proximity to existing manmade and natural landscape features that attract birds
-Construction and existing buildings
            -Minimize reflection of existing landscape
                        -Minimize building footprint
                        -Relocate or isolate existing compromising landscape features
                        - Use barriers to interfere and break reflections, such as furniture, landscaping, glassing techniques, and bird safe
                           enhancements
                        - Place desired landscape elements away or immediately adjacent from windows and glass facades in order to eliminate
                           a reflection (Note: placing trees and vegetation adjacent to buildings is a cost effective cooling solution)
                        - Conceal or reduce visibility of interior landscaping from the outside

 Glass Techniques/Windows

How do windows and buildings with glass facades pose a problem for bird safety?
-Birds are unable to detect windows in their flight path due to:
            -Reflectivity effect from glazing: birds see the their natural habitat and sources of food as a reflection on the glass
                        -This effect is not limited to tinted panes.  Clear panes can create a mirror as well, under the right lighting conditions
            -Transparency Effect: Birds do not perceive glass as a barrier when landscape   elements, such as plants, are visible inside
              through the windows, especially   windows that are opposite of each other

 Solutions:

            -Create and maximize visual noise that alerts birds and triggers recognition of the glass via applying patterns (acid etched and
              sand blasted recommended) on the outside surface
            -Reduce overall percentage of glass
            -Apply pattern, and shape, over the whole glass panel or window, separate pattern elements 10 cm (vertical arrangement) or 5
              cm(horizontal arrangement)
            -Exterior films such as CollidEscape
            -Netting, screens (plastic or metal), shading devices (awnings, sunshades, et al.)
            -Fritting, etching, opaque patterns
            -Minimize glazing, or use low reflectivity glazing in predictable bird collision areas, especially lower levels and areas near
              landscaping
            -Use angled glass at 20 to 40 degrees

Lighting

How do the lighting arrangements of buildings create problems for bird flight paths?
-Beacon Effect: Interior and Exterior nighttime lighting creates confusion and   disorientation for the internal navigation mechanisms of nocturnal birds, causing them to become prey for hungry predators, suffer from exhaustion, or collide with the building.

Solutions:
            -Interior:
                        -Light colored blinds or curtains (close at night)
                        -Light timers, motion sensitive lights, and dimmers in areas that
                          require light at night
                        -turn lights off at night
            -Exterior:
                        -Use the least amount of lighting possible
                        -Use timers, motion sensitive lights, and dimmers
                        -Avoid floodlights and other bright illuminations
                        -Reduce perimeter lighting
                        -Avoid lighting tall rooftop obstacles, such as antennas
                        -redirect upward lighting with cutoff shields
                        -turn lights off at night

 

These solutions to create a bird safe environment and conducive relationship between birds and buildings can be applied to newly constructed projects and existing structures at a low cost.