Every spring and fall, millions of migrating birds fly through Jersey City on their way to and from their breeding grounds. Unfortunately, many of them never survive to complete their journey. They collide with glass windows and either die instantly, or succumb to their injuries later.
Birds do not perceive reflective glass as a barrier the way humans do. They see reflected images of greenery or sky, and think they can fly through it. That’s why dozens of cities, including Newark and New York City, have introduced legislation to reduce collisions. The amendment that was recently approved unanimously by Jersey City Planning Board, and is now headed to City Council, promotes design standards that will make new construction safer. Research studies show that bird-safe design can reduce collisions by 90 percent.
During migration, volunteers patrol Jersey City streets looking for birds that have collided with windows. Victims include rare and threatened species like warblers, thrushes, wrens, and hummingbirds.. Tragically, most do not survive. And volunteers find only a fraction of the total number of birds, as most are swept up in trash, fall into inaccessible areas, or fly away in a surge of adrenaline, only to die later from their injuries.
There are effective, proven solutions. Options include bird-safe glass, tinted glass, adhesive films, ultraviolet dots, external insect screens, and blinds. When added at design stage, bird-safe features are low cost—less than one percent of total construction costs, per experts. Bird-safe standards do not compromise affordability, or affect the city’s ability to create and preserve affordable housing. These designs can also reduce energy costs over the building’s lifespan and count towards LEED certification.
It’s time for Jersey City to act so that we can make tomorrow’s buildings safer, and enjoy birdsong and birdwatching for generations to come.
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Protect our birds.
Over a billion birds die every year in the US due to window collisions during migration.
How can we help them fly safely?
A Canada warbler, a rare visitor to Jersey City, photographed by Rachel Emmet during collision monitoring in May 2024.
Migration is a treacherous time for birds.
As they fly through cities on their way to breeding grounds, many are killed or injured after colliding with buildings.
Often, these are rare or threatened species whose numbers are already in decline.
Birds can’t detect glass as a barrier. Instead, they may just see a reflection of greenery and sky and think they can fly through it. Artificial light at nighttime makes the problem worse by disorienting birds. Many die on impact with windows. Survivors require prompt medical attention to have a chance at recovery.
Here in Jersey City, the threat to birds has increased as rapid construction development and multi-story buildings dominate the skyline in the bird flyways.
But there are ways we can reduce the risk to birds.
One important way is to incorporate bird-friendly glass and other protective measures into buildings. This fall, new bird-friendly building design codes will go before Jersey City’s planning board, and then to City Council for approval. We have been working with interested groups and researching this measure for over 18 months, and we thank Councilman James Solomon for pushing the legislation forward. These proposed modifications—based on design codes in Newark and NYC—can dramatically reduce bird injuries and deaths in new construction.
For existing construction, there are solutions, including the use of window films and decals that help birds detect and avoid windows. (A reminder: it’s not just skyscrapers. Most collisions occur within the first few floors of a building. If you notice bird strikes at your home, school, or workplace, please install window film and decals. Contact us for more info.)
This fall, For the Birds, an advocacy group that unites members of Jersey City Birds and Feminist Bird Club Jersey City along with other community volunteers, will resume the collision monitoring that we began in the spring, monitoring buildings on the waterfront and in Journal Square and rescuing injured birds. Volunteers will monitor two known collision hot spots (one around Journal Square, the second around the waterfront) to identify which buildings would benefit from using window films and other deterrents.
For the Birds is consulting with the American Bird Conservancy, NYC Bird Alliance, and New Jersey Audubon to determine best practices for monitoring, data collection and advocacy in general.
How YOU can help:
We need volunteers to help us monitor collision sites over a two-week period in October. Volunteers walk around the designated sites in the early morning and document any injured or dead birds they find. We provide all instruction and equipment, including maps, survey sheets, gloves, and bags to transport injured birds. We will collect injured birds and bring them to wildlife rehab centers.
We also need help transporting injured birds to either Wild Bird Fund in Manhattan (accessible by public transport) or Raptor Trust in Millington. If you might be available to help with this, even for one day, please email Jerseycitybirds@gmail.com.
You may volunteer to monitor as many or as few days as you wish. You can also volunteer as a ‘floater’ who is available to fill in if other volunteers become unavailable.
Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Some familiarity with common birds is preferable but you do not need to be an expert—we will ID species from photographs.
This data will be used in our advocacy work to pinpoint collision hotspots and work with buildings to reduce bird strikes. Fill in our form here and we will contact you.