Three Ways To Protect Migratory Birds This Fall

Updated: September 28, 2024

Lights Out, Texas! asks Texans to do their part to prevent light pollution

By Cole Baerlocher

For Texans, saving millions of migratory birds could be as simple as flipping a switch.
Each year, nearly 2 billion birds migrate through the Lone Star State. Many of the migratory species use the night sky as a tool to navigate through the state and back to their homes and breeding grounds.

However, nighttime light pollution has become a growing challenge for many birds, leading to high rates of building strikes and migratory bird deaths. Lights Out, Texas! is an initiative focused on reducing bird losses to building strikes by enlisting the help of Texans.

Heather Prestridge, a curator in the Texas A&M Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology at the Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, BRTC, shared three key ways you can help birds during the southern migration window this fall.

No. 1: Turn off unnecessary lights
Birds are attracted to urban centers as they make their migratory flights at night, but they become disoriented by the lights.

“What’s important is to understand that non-essential lighting has a negative impact on wildlife year-round,” Prestridge said. “Lights Out, Texas! began as a campaign for making sure Texans flip the switch during peak bird migration in the spring and fall, but in reality, we should be practicing Lights Out year-round.”

Birds on a wire on Thursday, Nov 02, 2023 in Amarillo, Texas. (Michael Miller/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

No. 2: Consider treating your windows
According to a study in Annual Reviews, an estimated 1 billion birds are lost to collisions with buildings. One of the key causes are birds’ inability to detect glass.

“Often, glass is reflective of the trees and sky around it which lures birds to collide with buildings,” Prestridge said.

There are a variety of options to help mitigate this issue, such as patterned glass and film that aides in making these surfaces more bird friendly.

No. 3: Donate to the Collection of Birds at BRTC
The Collection of Birds at the BRTC serves as the repository for all the birds found during Lights Out, Texas! collision surveys. These specimens amount to thousands of birds per year that are carefully documented and utilized for a variety of research purposes not just migratory bird fatalities. Philanthropic donations to BRTC will help support bird categorization and the preservation of research for scientists and students who access the collection.

“Funds are needed for student wages, materials and storage cabinetry,” Prestridge said. “A tax-deductible donation can be made to our account with the Texas A&M Foundation.”

Lights Out, Texas! remains a dedicated leader to educating and informing the public on everyday strategies that help prevent unnecessary migratory bird loss.

By keeping non-essential lights off, treating glass where collisions occur, and designing buildings to be bird friendly from the beginning, Prestridge said Texans can help reduce window strikes and normalize awareness and support for billions of migratory birds.

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