How to: Keep Birds from Flying into your Windows

We've all probably heard that horrifying "thunk" before. You look up at your window only to see a bird laying at the ground next to it. Sometimes the bird has died on impact, sometimes it lies there in shock and you sit there wondering if will pull though. Either way, after a bird flies into a window, most people find themselves wondering if there is anything they could have done to prevent it.

The answer is "yes". There are a lot of things that we can do to prevent this from happening again. Birds fly into windows for a couple reasons. The first reason is that, often, birds will not even realize the window is there. They may fly into it trying to access something inside your home or office that seems appealing. Or, they may see the reflection of the sky and not realize that it is only a reflection. The other reason that birds might fly into a window is that territorial birds often see their reflection and assume that there is another bird vying for the territory. The bird will then attempt to divebomb its own reflection.

To show birds that there is a window there, it might be helpful to place decals on the glass. However, to add strength to your approach, you will want to use other bird exclusion techniques. Place visual bird scares near any windows that seems to attract birds. In the case of outfitting a home, this could be in the form of holographic tape, scare balloons or lifelike predator decoys. For large office buildings, you might consider using a sonic device.

Remember, if a bird dies on your property, call a wildlife specialist before removing the body. There might be disposal procedures. NEVER, touch a wild bird with your bare hands.