Almost 300 Migratory Birds Found Dead in New York After Smacking Into a Skyscraper

The dead bird issue in New York City has reached new heights.

According to reports, hundreds of migrating birds were killed when they collided with the World Trade Center buildings earlier this week, creating a cemetery of winged bodies on the streets below.

Bird-Skyscraper Collisions

In metropolitan places, bird-skyscraper collisions are a concern. Several large cities, including Toronto, Canada, and New York City, New York, have initiatives to combat this, such as Toronto's Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) and New York City's Lights Out New York, a program of the New York City Audubon, an environmental group.

According to FLAP, one to nine million birds perish in the city each year due to mistaking reflecting windows for the open sky or being lured to lights at night.

According to a 2014 research published in the ornithological journal Condor, an estimated 365 million to 988 million birds die each year in the United States due to collisions with structures.

Related Article: How to Protect Bats and Birds from Wind Turbines, High Rise Infrastructures

Bird Collisions in New York

According to Melissa Breyer, a volunteer bird collision monitor for the bird conservation group New York City Audubon, at least 291 songbirds, including black-and-white warblers, American redstarts, and ovenbirds, were disoriented by lights and reflective glass while flying south on Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Breyer, who usually discovers 15 to 20 feathered carcasses every trip, was taken aback when he found 300 near the base of the World Trade Centers One, Three, Four, and Seven on Tuesday morning.

"I was completely taken aback. She told The Washington Post, "It was an overpowering thing." "It seemed like a nightmare as I looked around."

Breyer took a snapshot of the devastation, which occurred during a strong migratory time and a moderate storm, and shared it on Twitter.

She tweeted, "Counting the dead birds on @ WTCOfficial awnings that I couldn't collect; add another 35, plus the 30 who went to @wildbirdfund, making my recorded total 291." "The swept and shattered ones aren't included in that number."

"Windows can be treated, and lights can be turned off. "Please," she implored, "do something."

"Lights Out"

To help keep the city's feathery companions alive, she and other wildlife enthusiasts urge WTC operators to turn down lights at night or put decals.

"They can turn down the lights at night to assist prevent light collisions," said Kaitlyn Parkins, associate director of conservation and research at NYC Audubon.

"Alternatively, you can treat reflective glass to make it appear solid to birds."

Hundreds of songbirds were killed last spring when they collided with a see-through barrier in Manhattan's Liberty Park, leading the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to put bird-friendly stickers on the glass.

This week, the bird fatalities were most likely caused by a "huge pulse in migration" on Monday, Parkins said, rather than the buildings' Sept. 11 commemorative light displays over the weekend.

The managers of the Four, Three, and Seven World Trade Centers, according to a representative, are taking precautions to preserve flying animals.

"In the five boroughs, we are passionate about wild birds and safeguarding their habitat. Therefore, we are actively urging our office tenants to turn off their lights at night and lower their blinds whenever feasible, especially during the migratory season," said a spokesperson for Silverstein Properties, which owns the skyscrapers.

Also Read: Research Shows Turning Off Building Lights at Night Reduces Bird Collision Cases

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