How Can Turning Lights Off Save Birds?

During fall and spring migrations, building lights can confuse birds, causing deadly crashes. Learn how Lights Out programs are helping in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/lights-out-program-birds.htm

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey
brain Stuff Lauren Bolbaum. Here, Buildings and windows kill roughly
a billion birds in the United States every year, due
in part to the artificial lights that disorient them and
cause them to crash in The National Audubon Society and

(00:23):
its partners began the Lights Out program in Chicago to
alert building owners and managers to this problem and convinced
them to turn off unnecessary lights when birds are migrating.
As of early two forty seven cities had adopted Lights
Out programs, including New York, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Washington,
d C. There are also statewide and regional programs, including

(00:47):
Lights Out Colorado, Lights Out Georgia, and Lights Out Heartland.
Most of these programs are ramping up from August fift
through November fift this year to coincide with birds natural
fall migration. Okay, but let's talk about why lights are
so dangerous to birds After feral cats. Buildings and windows
are the second greatest killer of American birds, especially during

(01:10):
the two times a year when many migrate, flying between
breeding and wintering habitats, attracted by the bright artificial lights
at night. Birds fly into buildings and glass windows and
are often killed by the impact. If they aren't killed,
their flight patterns are disrupted, causing them to become disoriented
and circle in confusion and interfering with their daytime cycle

(01:31):
of resting and refueling. Also, biologists have found that light
pollution causes birds to start nesting earlier than normal. The
resulting mismatch and timing can cause hungry chicks to hatch
before their food supply is available. A lights out works
on mitigating these problems by requesting building owners and managers
turned lights off during the migration season from midnight to

(01:54):
six am each morning. Audubon recommends they quote turn off
exterior decorate of lighting, extinguished spot and floodlights, a substitute
strobe lighting where possible, Reduced lobby and atrium lighting wherever possible.
Turn off interior lighting, especially on upper floors. Substitute task
and area lighting for workers staying late, or pull window

(02:15):
coverings down, shield exterior lighting to eliminate all light directed
upward and horizontal glare, and install motion sensors and automatic
controls wherever possible. Let's take Philadelphia for example. The city
is located along a migration corridor for birds, and each
year tens of millions of birds passed through while migrating,

(02:37):
making it potentially dangerous if too many lights are left on.
Bird Safe Philly, a coalition of nonprofits adjoined together with
the City of Philadelphia and its building industry to create
Lights Up Philly in It began its first migration season
April one of that year, the peak of spring migration.
It ran through thirty one and again August fifteen through

(02:58):
November fifteenth, when birds traveled south. During that time, forty
one commercial, fifty three residential, and six municipal participants pledged
to turn off their lights to help birds out. It
may seem like a small measure, but Chicago, the first
lights out city in the nation, has reported saving ten
thousand birds every year since it began the program. Even

(03:22):
if your city isn't participating in the Lights Out program,
you can still help close the blinds or turn off
into your lights when you leave a room. If you
have control over your outdoor lighting, choose down shielded lighting options,
add timers and or motion sensors if possible, and turn
off outdoor spotlights or decorative lighting between midnight and six am.

(03:44):
The National Audubon Society also suggests residents of major cities
urged their building owners, managers, and other homeowners to turn
off outdoor lighting during the months when birds are migrating.
While birds are facing a lot of challenges along with
the buildings, there's climate change, feral cats, and habitat destruction.
We can them out by working to fix the problems

(04:06):
that we've created. Today's episode is based on the article
Audubon's Lights Out program Kills the Lights to Save the
Birds on houst works dot Com, written by Stephanie Parker.
Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with
houst Works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang.
For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the i heart

(04:28):
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.