Birds Flying Into Windows – How to Prevent It

If you’ve heard it before, then you probably don’t want to hear it again. We’re talking about the unforgiving “thump” of a bird hitting a window. Birds flying into windows is somewhat of an epidemic that won’t go away. It’s estimated that almost a billion birds die from hitting windows each year in the United States alone.

Birds hitting windows is a common occurrence and can be easily prevented. Even if you’ve never experienced a bird hitting your windows, you should still implement some way of prevention.

In this article, we’ll go over why birds fly into windows and various tips to help prevent it from happening.

Why Do Birds Fly Into Windows?

Birds can fly into windows during anytime of the day, but why? During the daytime, birds can confuse the reflections of the outdoors and the sky as another place to fly through. They can’t decipher whether or not it’s an actual opening to fly through until it’s too late.

During the nighttime, birds are attracted to windows with lighting and fly off their path and into the window. There’s no real reason as to why they do this, but it’s something that happens quite frequently.

Another reason why birds might fly into your windows is because they do see their reflection and think it’s another bird and try to attack it. Often, this will consist of a bird simply facing off with the window from a close range and creating an annoyance.

However, there are still many cases of birds flying full-steam into the window thinking their reflection is another bird. This is especially a problem during the seasons where they’re most territorial.

How to Stop Birds From Hitting Windows

Now that you know why birds fly into windows, we’ll go over how you can help prevent it from happening and help save some lives. Below, you’ll find some of the most common and effective methods to keep birds from hitting your windows.

Move Your Bird Feeders

If you have bird feeders in your yard that are close to the windows, that increases the chances of birds flying into your windows. If they are using the feeders and get startled, then they look for the quickest escape which, in their eyes, can be the windows.

A solution to this could be to move your feeders far enough away from your windows so there’s ample room for them to fly into the feeders and enough space for them to escape without the possibility of hitting a window.

However, there are still some types of birds that don’t use feeders and can still hit your windows. We’ll go over what you can do for those kinds of birds below.

Window Screens on the Exterior

Another common way to prevent birds from hitting your windows is to install screens on the outside of your windows. Some windows have this feature on the bottom sash, but not on the top which leaves a hard surface for birds to hit.

Installing a screen on the outside won’t necessarily prevent birds from flying into your windows, but it will help lessen the collision. If the screen is at least 3 inches away from the window and taut, it can help birds bounce off instead of flying flat onto a glass surface.

Since this isn’t an actual method of prevention, it should be used in combination with another idea.

External Shutters, Sun Shades or Awnings

Since the main reason birds fly into windows is because they see their reflection, a common and very effective method of prevention is to use shutters, sun shades or awnings outside of your windows.

You can close your shutters or sun shades to completely cover the window so that no birds can mistake your windows for greener pastures.

Another way to lessen the reflection is to install window awnings. They’ll cover the top of your windows and keep the sun away. However, window awnings are a more expensive option and people usually install them for design purposes and not solely for bird-window collisions.

Seasonal Window Decorations

Anything you can do to lessen the reflection that birds will see in your windows will help prevent them from flying into them.

This includes putting up holiday decor in your windows. Anything from snowflakes in the winter to pumpkins in October will help make birds realize that your windows are a no-fly zone.

That’s not to say you need to have decorations in your windows all year round, but if you notice a trend of when they do hit your windows most, this can be an easy method to helping prevent it from happening.

Wind Chimes

Placing wind chimes in the vicinity of your windows can greatly help you in your efforts to prevent birds from hitting your windows.

Why does this method have success? Because the wind chimes will make a noise whenever it’s breezy and that’ll scare any birds from flying near them.

Window Film/Plastic

Installing window film is often done to improve the look of your home and help out with reducing energy costs. However, it’s also very effective at keeping birds from flying into your windows.

There are many different styles of window film to choose from including etched designs or frosted glass to help keep the reflections low and the birds away.

You can read more about window film in this article.

Stop Birds From Hitting Your Windows

Nobody wants to deal with the incident of a bird flying into their windows and have to clean up afterwards. However, it’s a common problem that many homeowners face each and every day.

There are some effective methods that can help prevent birds from hitting your windows that are easy and cost-effective. Whether it’s something as simple as moving your feeders to installing decorative window film, it’s important that you take action to save the lives of innocent birds and to protect your home from any damage.

In the event that your windows have suffered a bird collision and are in need of more than just new glass, you can count on Feldco for the best window replacement in the Midwest.

All it takes is a quick and simple free quote online and you’ll be on your way to new windows in no time.