Creating a Bird-Friendly Dallas

Birds are in trouble.

Since 1970, we have lost more than 3 billion birds in North America, with grassland birds in particular declining by 53%. With more than half of bird species in the United States in decline, our skies are already much more empty than in decades past, and our wild spaces are growing quieter. We must act now, before more bird species become endangered and populations decline further.

Birds play a critical role in our ecosystems and our lives. They provide irreplaceable services like distributing seeds, pollinating flowers, maintaining the balance of insect and rodent populations and much more. Not only that, seeing and hearing birds just makes us feel better. From improving mood and cognitive function to lowering stress levels, we all seem to just do better when we’re around birds.

Depending on the migration season, around one in three to one in four birds that migrate through the United States pass through Texas. That is nearly two billion birds passing through our skies every year, in addition to our year-round residents. Texan birders have been in a fierce competition with California for decades over which state can boast the largest number of bird species of any U.S. state – but it is uncontroversial to say that the number is north of 630 species.

Unfortunately, many migrating birds die while migrating through urban areas like Dallas-Fort Worth. Birds striking glass windows is the second largest human-related cause of bird deaths, killing hundreds of millions every year, and DFW is the third most dangerous area in the United States for birds.

According to Lights Out Texas surveys, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center alone is responsible for more than one third of all building strike deaths in the core of Dallas.

Birds cannot utilize the context clues that humans use, like window frames and placement within a building’s shape to determine where windows are located. Birds may attempt to fly through fully transparent glass, especially on multi-story buildings and sky bridges, or they may fly into a window that is reflecting habitat like trees and shrubs. These issues are compounded at night, when bright lights shining into the air, or onto glass buildings disorients and confuses birds.

The deadliness of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center mirrors what bird advocates have found in other cities, including Chicago and New York City, where convention centers were also identified as some of the city’s largest bird killers. Large expanses of glass on multi-story buildings is a recipe for ecological disaster, but, as both Chicago and New York City also show, it is entirely preventable.

Making buildings bird-friendly

The first and easiest step is to turn off unnecessary exterior lighting, especially during migration season. Retrofits to light fixtures and bulbs can also be made to limit light pollution, by pointing lights downwards and using warmer colored bulbs.

The next step is to ensure that windows are bird-friendly. This can be achieved using a number of methods. Either physical architectural elements or glass patterned on the outside of the window can be highly effective if spaced correctly. 

Research has shown that birds are unable to recognize decals depicting predators that may be installed on glass and that anything on the inside of a window is unable to be detected when the window is reflective. Instead, the most effective solution is a repeating pattern that either has a maximum spacing of two inches vertically, or up to four inches horizontally.

For a long-term, maintenance-free solution, pattern etched glass can be installed. Stickers or adhesive window films are much cheaper, but must be reapplied every several years.

In the case of both the McCormick convention center in Chicago and the Javitz Center in New York City, bird deaths decreased by 95% after a patterned film and pattern etched windows were installed respectively.

We can do better

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is currently in the design stages for a multi-billion dollar expansion and renovation. We are calling on the Dallas City Council to ensure that bird-friendly windows and lighting are included as part of the renovation.

Now is the time to act. Incorporating bird-friendly elements while the building is being designed and built is the cheapest and easiest option.

But we’re not just stopping with the convention center. We want to aim higher.

Cities across the United States, like Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City have adopted policies that encourage or mandate bird-friendly building designs, greatly reducing bird mortality across the entire city. Additionally, several Texas cities, including nearby Cedar Hill, have already begun designing new city-owned buildings with birds in mind.

Dallas has the opportunity to be a leader as the first city in Texas to adopt a city ordinance that would encourage or mandate bird-friendly buildings. Unless Austin gets there first, that is. After addressing the convention center, we urge the city council to amend the city’s building regulations to protect our avian neighbors.

Together we can win

Environment Texas has a history of successful education and advocacy campaigns. From our campaign that won $1 billion for new state parks in Texas to our work on the recent $345 million Dallas parks bond, we know how to inspire the public and convince the decision makers.

But we’re not alone. Our coalition members are bird experts. Locally, Texas Conservation Alliance and Audubon Texas are supplying their wealth of data from years of Lights Out, DFW surveys, while American Bird Conservancy provides a deep knowledge of bird-friendly building design.

Together we will engage and educate community organizations, members of the public, city staff, and key decision makers about the plight of North American birds and Dallas’s role in the solution. We want Dallasites to tell their council members that we have the tools, the budget, and the opportunity to stop the unintentional killing of thousands of birds every year. So let’s do it!