According to the Nature Conservation Association of Germany, or NABU for short, around 100 million birds die every year because they fly into a window pane. If you don’t like to have curtains on your window and pull up blinds or blinds, you may be familiar with the muffled sound of a pigeon or a local songbird hitting the ground. An unsightly mark is often left on the window. In this case the lesser evil. Because it is not uncommon for the feathered pilots to crash and die on the ground. Some remain injured.
But why do so many birds fly into glass panes? What small measures can be taken to protect them from a fatal collision? And what to do with an injured bird? The following article deals with these questions.
Although birds’ sense of vision is exceptionally well developed, millions of them fly into the window trap and many of them to their death. They simply don’t notice the glass. They are also fooled by reflections, such as trees or bushes that are nearby and reflected in the windows. The reflective sky also irritates the birds. Even at night, birds die on glass facades if the windows are lit from within.
If you want to help the birds and save yourself additional window cleaning, you should make curtain-free windows visible to titmice, chaffinches and the like. A simple and inexpensive idea is window stickers. They are now available in various colors and shapes. But it doesn’t matter whether you stick iridescent hummingbirds, small circles or other motifs to the window. What is much more important is the interval at which the stickers are applied. As the Vienna Environmental Protection Agency (WUA) has found out in studies, the so-called palm rule applies here. This means that the stickers should be fixed at a distance of no more than a hand’s width apart so that the birds do not spot a supposed gap. This means: In order to reliably warn birds, it is necessary to mark the entire window area. The frequently used silhouettes of birds of prey are therefore not helpful.
Can’t find a motif you like? How about the popular Window Colors, also known as window paints? They are particularly popular with children and can often be admired on the windows and glass doors of daycare centers and schools. Here, young and old can let off steam creatively and, depending on the season, decorate the windows with funny, animal or other small motifs. A little simpler, but no less helpful, is colorful, washable window chalk. Despite all the fun, always make sure that the children are not standing alone at the window or even on the windowsill.
Now it’s not everyone’s taste to look at cute baby dinosaurs or a sea of butterflies in the living room window every day. Then panel or panel curtains are a decorative option that can help prevent regular bird strikes. Horizontal striped patterns are particularly suitable. The curtains are usually pushed onto a curtain rod that is clamped, glued or screwed into the window frame. This panel curtain from Decocompany combines three narrow surfaces.
Tip: No matter which option you choose. According to WUA, birds recognize the colors black, white, orange and red best.
Window stickers and panel curtains alone will not prevent birds from flying into window panes, breaking wings or even dying. But what should you do if you discover an injured animal on the sidewalk in front of the house?
Injured birds have the best chance of survival if they are handed over to a wild bird rescue center as soon as they are found. There are currently around 70 facilities across Germany that look after injured animals. If you find an injured bird, you should first place it in a box of the appropriate size (e.g. a shoebox). Important: Under no circumstances should you spray water into the bird’s beak. This could cause the animal to suffocate. This graphic provides clear guidance on what to do if a bird is found.
Contact a reception or care center as quickly as possible. You can find an overview of contact details sorted by postal code here.
Sources: nabu.de (1), nabu.de (2), wildvogelhilfe.org
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