Birds Flying Into Windows – Bird Decals and Other Ideas

We have all seen birds fly or crash into windows. This is not only bad for the bird, but it's disturbing for the homeowner as well.  Why do birds do this, and are there some things we can do to keep birds from crashing into our windows?  Are they attacking the house, or simply don't see it?

Most of the time it's not what they see inside the building that they are flying to.  In fact, it's often difficult to see in the house from outside, especially during the day when this usually happens. In addition, there is little inside that would typically be attractive to birds. It's more likely that the reflection of the outside world as seen on the window is what's grabbing their attention, reflections of clouds and trees give them the sense that it's simply an extension of where they are at. As you can imagine, this is more likely for windows that have a mirrored reflective coating or tinted coating designed to reduce the sun's heating, but it can happen often with "clear" windows as well , especially on days when it's bright outside and dark in the room.

If window reflections are a major part of the problem, what steps can we take to reduce them?

One of the first things you might try is to simply draw the shades. If you have clear windows and a light colored backing on the shades this may cut down on the reflections enough to solve the problem. Of course, if you like to have the window open to watch the birds this is not a great solution. A good compromise might be to put up the outdoor screens for the window if you have them. This not only cuts down on the reflections dramatically, but if a bird still insists on flying into the window the blow is cushioned by the screen. Once again, though, the tradeoff is a slightly worse view out the window.

If you really want to maintain the view out the window, you need a solution that is visible to the birds outside but not from inside the window. Probably the most popular approach to that is to use window decals. Regular decals can work well, but these are just as visible from inside the window. But there are commercially available decals that are almost transparent from the inside, but are much more visible from outside the window. Window Alerts is a very popular brand of these decals, and they come in a broad selection of patterns, such as butterflies or birds such as hawks or owls. Another choice is one that looks like a large spider web from outside, which scares off many types of birds.

if you want to make something yourself, try using some ribbon, creating a criss cross pattern over the window to make it look like a web.

If this is only a seasonal problem in your area, try putting some simple coating on the window such as marking it with a soap bar or writing with shoe polish. These can be effective, but easily removed after the active period is over.

My favorite solution is also the easiest, which is to leave the window unwashed in the active season. Dirty windows don't reflect as much, and may solve the problem.

When all else fails, you may want to move the birds away from the window. If you have placed one of your bird feeders or a birdhouse near your window, the easiest thing to do may be to simply move it a few feet further away or off to one side, hopefully close enough that you can still see the birds but out of harms way.