The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is highlighting the importance of protecting birds after a massive building collision in Chicago killed nearly a thousand birds.
The DNR said the migratory songbirds on their way to Central America for the winter died in window collision with a single building in Chicago. The species included many long-distance warblers that also travel through Michigan, including hundreds of palm warblers and yellow-rumped warblers.
According to the DNR, North America is home to nearly 3 billion fewer breeding birds compared to 1970, and 2/3 of North American bird species are at risk of extinction due to climate change.
The DNR said bird collisions are not rare, but they are not usually as large as the one in Chicago. Collisions are a leading cause of bird mortality, and Michigan lies at the intersection of the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways, which are migration routes that bring over 350 bird species through the state every year.
Officials say some birds are more likely to hit buildings than others, and some are called "super-colliders" and are headed to Michigan in the next few weeks, including American woodcocks and white-throated sparrows.
Here are ways to protect them, according to the DNR:
- Turn off excess lighting during bird migration months to help ensure safe passage
- Change the direction of the light and direct exterior light downward
- Create patterns on the outer surface of glass, or make it appear opaque
- Close blinds or curtains
