Ornithologists warn that up to two billion birds worldwide die each year after hitting transparent surfaces. In neighbouring Bohemia, it is up to one million birds a year. While we often see dead birds on roads or under power lines, birds that die after hitting buildings are removed by cleaning crews as quickly as possible, making the problem less visible.

Accompanying climate change, various mitigation measures are being implemented in cities. One of these is the construction of more sustainable buildings. There are many solutions that not only increase human comfort but also benefit nature. In the case of overheated cities, one of the issues being addressed is the energy efficiency of buildings. In their construction, builders often use glass that is coated with a metal foil to form a reflective heat shield, which means saving energy on air conditioning.

Such building facades also mirror the surrounding greenery or sky, which seems to be an aesthetically pleasing solution. For birds, however, they are often a point of impact that costs them their lives. It is a paradox that they can fly thousands of kilometers in challenging conditions and are killed by this fictitious mirrored landscape into which they fly at full speed.

Climatologist Jaroslava Slavková from Slovak hydrometeorological institute said that with climate measures for better energy efficiency of buildings, we cannot predict their comprehensive impact in advance. This will only become apparent in practice, as in this case. Then solutions must be sought.

Solutions exist

According to ornithologist Rado Jambor of the Ornithological Advisory Service, there is a solution, it is just not yet required and people and building permit authorities are not aware of it. In principle, it is enough to make the glass visible from the outside. Stickers can be used for this purpose, except silhouettes of birds of prey, which don't work as birds sometimes attack them. Stickers are effective if they are spaced 10 to 15 cm apart.

With high-rise buildings, which are increasing rapidly in Slovakia, and on which mainly nocturnal migrating birds are killed, it is difficult to install stickers on the exterior. Therefore, stickers and other measures should be taken into account when designing and constructing buildings. Bird safe glass with ultraviolet reflective patterns can also be used, but it is a costly option.

As birds migrate all over the world, the problem of climate change and reflective building facades is being noticed in many countries. An international initiative called Global Bird Rescue - Killer Glass Week - has already been launched. This week, during bird migrations, registered volunteers walk around glass surfaces in their area, report and record findings of injured or dead birds. Global Bird Rescue is an activity of the Canadian FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) organization.

The initiative does not yet have a European counterpart. Our neigbour, Czechia, is engaged in a similar volunteer program along with a few Asian countries, namely India, China, and Nepal.

bird protection needed at all levels

According to Jambor, there is no organized campaign or search-and-rescue type of assistance in Slovakia, like FLAP. However, there are organizations and individuals who can help in similar ways. So far, monitoring is done in a random and unorganized way, by visiting problematic buildings and neighborhoods. A lot of attention is being paid to glass bus stop shelters.

What can you do if you find an injured or dead bird under a building or by a glass bus stop shelter? In this case you can contact directly the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic or the Slovak Environmental Inspectorate, which have the competence to arrange a remedy and request the owner of the glass barrier to treat the glass barrier with a coating. Approaching the first institution is usually more effective, but willingness and results vary from person to person.

"After finding the dead birds, I documented them and contacted both institutions. As of October 2023, there has been no response, nor have stickers been put on the glass surfaces of the places where we found them," said Ivo Páleník, who also shared this experience on his social network.

Upon finding a dead bird, the young environmental reporters contacted the owner of the building directly, who agreed to add stickers and together they implemented the solution. However, this is not the rule. We approached pedestrians near a glass building where photos of dead migrating birds often appeared on social media. According to their survey, only 20% of the 45 respondents had encountered a dead or injured bird. Of that number, almost half had tried to do something about it, such as documenting it and contacting institutions or someone they knew who could take care of such birds. The responses to and implementation of their protective measures were not recorded by any of them.

In Slovakia, we are still dragging our feet on redressing the issue. The problem is with the laws themselves, with the design and approval of buildings, as well as with proving and documenting these deaths. We are still waiting for legislation of this scope.

bird rescue and climate efficiency

If a bird is injured, we have a network of bird rescues to which the State Nature Conservancy staff are able to transport these birds. However, their operation is often inflexible and inefficient. However, those birds that survive the collision can be helped at home. They need to be placed in a box, in darkness, silence and warmth. The bird will recover from its concussion in a few hours. We open the box, and if it's okay, it flies away on its own.

On the one hand, making buildings as energy-efficient as possible and adapting architecture to climate change is important. On the other hand, it is equally important to find solutions that are in harmony with wildlife. For example, vertical green buildings are not only more sustainable, but they also provide shelter for many animals. This is a better solution for birds.

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