Wildlife Damage Management, Internet Center for
Title
Summary Report on the Bird Friendly Building Program: Effect of Light Reduction on Collision of Migratory Birds.
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
January 2002
Most migratory songbirds are nocturnal migrants, which makes them vulnerable to
collision with lighted structures they encounter along their flight path during migration. The
Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) was formed by a group of concerned citizens to rescue
and relocate disoriented birds trapped in the city centre, and to record the number and species of
birds killed due to collision. Following the initiation of the Bird Friendly Building (BFB)
Program by FLAP and World Wildlife Fund Canada in 1997, light emissions at 16 buildings in
the downtown core of Toronto were also monitored during migration seasons. This report
summarizes data on birds and light emissions collected from 1997 to spring 2001. This data
provides evidence that:
the number of fatal bird collisions increases with increasing light emissions
the number of birds entrapped by particular buildings rises with increasing light
emissions
the BFB has been successful in reducing light emissions
weather is the most important factor influencing collision risk
nights of heavy cloud cover and/or nights with precipitation are the conditions
most likely to result in high numbers of collisions.
A survey of building managers involved in the BFB program revealed that tenant
education programs about bird collisions had increased awareness of the problem. Managers
found that most tenants were willing to participate in the BFB, which they saw as a green
initiative that had a positive environmental impact. Many buildings had installed or reprogrammed
automated light systems that reduced the number of night-time hours that lights
were left on. Several buildings that had limited success in reducing light levels between 1997 and
fall 2001 have recently installed automated timer systems that should dramatically improve their
light emission reductions in the future. In general, the BFB represents a win-win situation for
property managers because reducing the period of time that lights are on not only reduces bird
mortality but also results in substantial cost savings due to reduced energy consumption. An
estimated $3.2 million could be saved if all of the 16 monitored buildings employed the nighttime
light emission reductions already in place at several of the BFB sites. Such a reduction in
power consumption would result in an estimated reduction of 38,400 tons of CO2-emissions from
fossil-fuel burning energy sources. The BFB therefore contributes locally to a reduction in bird
mortality, and globally to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, thus reducing the production
of greenhouse gases that lead to global climate change.
Comments
Published by the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP). Used by permission.