1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Bogobam. Here, you're working away next 3 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,960 Speaker 1: to a window when you hear a thunk. You look 4 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: up just in time to see a poor wee birdie 5 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: stunned and falling away from the glass. Or maybe you've 6 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:23,960 Speaker 1: found a disoriented, injured, or even dead little feathered friend 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: who's obviously crashed into a nearby window. Poor buddy. You 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 1: think they don't know what glasses, Well, that's kind of 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,040 Speaker 1: the case, but it's not the whole story. And during 10 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: daylight hours, those windows reflect sky and trees and other 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: pleasant things. The birds think those reflections are continuation of 12 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,440 Speaker 1: the landscape, so they try to fly into it. It 13 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: does not work out well for them. At night, the 14 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: light from inside our homes and buildings shines through the windows, 15 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: and the birds try to fly inside for shelter. That 16 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: doesn't work out for them either, actually leap. It's worse 17 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: than that. Nocturnal artificial light can pull birds off their 18 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 1: migration roots, especially if it's foggy or the clouds are low. 19 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: Then they hang around the windows and knock into the 20 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:15,199 Speaker 1: glass and each other. This nighttime hazard is the reason 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: why Dozens of cities have joined lights out programs that 22 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: aim to convince building owners to turn off unnecessary light 23 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: during migration season. In the spring, when birds are feeling 24 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:29,520 Speaker 1: territorial and feisty, they may see their reflection in the 25 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: window and try to attack it. This is less fatal 26 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: than flying full tilt into a window and is usually 27 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: just annoying to the human on the other side of 28 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,479 Speaker 1: the glass. Birds are also more apt to fly into 29 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: windows if they get a little drunk on fermented berries. 30 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 1: Don't drink and fly birds. Fifty four to seventy six 31 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: percent of bird and window collisions are fatal, according to 32 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: the Portland Audubon Society. Study published in the journal The 33 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: Condor found that residential and low rise buildings account for 34 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: scent of all window impacts. High rises only account for 35 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: one percent. The same study estimated that between a hundred 36 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: million and one billion birds are killed each year by 37 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: colliding with buildings in the United States alone. So what 38 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: can humans do? Lots Actually, Yale, for example, has had 39 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 1: issues with birds crashing into windows for years, so the 40 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: university has incorporated bird safe standards for new building construction 41 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: and renovations that it tackles this includes making glass more 42 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: visible and dampening reflections to prevent the windows looking like 43 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: open passages. The standards also require decreased light pollution and 44 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: fewer structures that trap birds think open pipes, ventilation gates, 45 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: and drains. Here are some ideas suggested by the Audubon 46 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: Society to retrofit existing buildings. You can put a net 47 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 1: or screen on the outside of the window to slow 48 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: the bird down before the collision. You can close your 49 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: curtains or blinds at night. Make sure you place any 50 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 1: bird feeders and plants either at least thirty feet that's 51 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: nine meters away from your windows, or hangbird feeders right 52 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 1: on the glass with suction cups. Decorate your windows with 53 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: paintings or other art. You can also paint or apply 54 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: sticker strips to your windows, but remember birds fly between 55 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,960 Speaker 1: trees and branches. Those strips should be no more than 56 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,239 Speaker 1: two to four inches that's five apart, otherwise the birds 57 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: might try to fly through them. Today's episode is based 58 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: on the article Oh birds, please don't fly into our 59 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 1: windows on how Stuff works dot com, written by Kristen 60 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,120 Speaker 1: hall Geisler. Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio 61 00:03:42,160 --> 00:03:44,520 Speaker 1: in partnership of how stuffworks dot com and is produced 62 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: by Tyler Clay. Four more podcasts My Heart Radio, visit 63 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,760 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 64 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.