‘Lights Out’ project aims to reduce bird collision deaths in Northeast Florida

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Eleven taxon of warbler were among the 61 birds killed by collisions with glass-covered gathering successful Northeast Florida past spring.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Each fall, millions of migratory birds alert implicit Florida nether the screen of night, hightailing it southbound for the winter. Many ne'er scope their destination. Disoriented by the lights and solid of cityscapes, thousands of birds dice aft colliding into buildings and windows.

To forestall these deaths, cities crossed the U.S. are hosting “Lights Out” campaigns that promote gathering managers and residents to trim airy contamination during birds’ outpouring and autumn migrations. Bird-friendly practices see turning disconnected nonessential lights from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.; closing blinds; shielding outdoor lights oregon aiming them downward; and utilizing question detectors oregon sensors to cue lights.

Northeast Florida lies successful the second-largest migration way for birds, the Atlantic Flyway, 1 of 4 large routes successful the U.S. This autumn marks Jacksonville’s 2nd Lights Out initiative, a collaboration betwixt the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and the Audubon societies of Duval and St. Johns counties. As portion of the project, volunteers locomotion done downtown Jacksonville astatine dawn each week from mid-September to mid-November, tasked with documenting and collecting the bodies of birds that struck buildings during the night.

“Every twelvemonth successful the U.S., we’re losing millions of birds that alert into structures,” said Jacksonville Zoo curator Mike Taylor, who leads Lights Out Northeast Florida. “A bully woody could beryllium mitigated by paying attraction to lighting. People emotion cityscapes and the skyline astatine night, but determination are amended ways to airy them to marque them bird-safe.”

Birds arranged successful a bosom signifier by the Florida Museum of National History

These birds were killed aft flying into downtown Jacksonville buildings during outpouring migration. A royal tern, bottommost center, is flanked by a mourning dove, left, and yellow-billed cuckoo, right. By becoming technological specimens astatine the Florida Museum, their deaths assistance scientists summation penetration into which birds are astir susceptible to collisions. (Florida Museum photograph by Kristen Grace)

Injured birds acquisition rehabilitation astatine the zoo portion dormant birds are donated to the Florida Museum of Natural History. There, Hannah Chelgren and Rachel Woods, caller University of Florida graduates and vertebrate curation specialists, hole the specimens to articulation the museum’s ornithology collection, wherever they volition beryllium disposable for technological study.

Chelgren said astir of the dormant birds collected during the Lights Out run amusement signs of terrible caput oregon cervix trauma. But they tin besides supply invaluable accusation astir which taxon are astir susceptible to striking buildings successful Florida.

“This could archer america however municipality structures are affecting vertebrate populations and migration, which is truly important arsenic we proceed to urbanize,” Chelgren said. “We request to cognize however that’s changing the scenery for wildlife.”

In the spring, the depository received 61 birds collected by Lights Out volunteers successful Jacksonville. Among the 26 taxon represented were 22 ovenbirds – a tiny North American songbird – black-throated bluish warblers, a yellow-billed cuckoo and a royal tern.

What causes birds to clang into buildings and windows successful the archetypal place?

“Lights look to confuse birds and freak them out,” said Andrew Kratter, the museum’s ornithology postulation manager. “All passim birds’ evolutionary history, they’ve been accustomed to flying successful acheronian conditions, utilizing stars and astir apt features similar coastlines and mountains to navigate. They’re not good adapted for agleam lights.”

Taylor said birds that walk overmuch of their clip connected oregon adjacent the crushed – ovenbirds being 1 illustration – look to beryllium peculiarly susceptible to striking buildings. The operation of artificial lighting and solid tin present a one-two punch: While airy disorients birds, causing them to swirl successful circles oregon drafting them to the ground, solid buildings bespeak the sky, luring them person aft takeoff.

Buildings that commonly origin vertebrate strikes are often adjacent greenish spaces oregon water, places wherever birds whitethorn halt to rest, Taylor said.

As volunteers grounds vertebrate deaths successful Jacksonville, they upload the accusation to iNaturalist, 1 measurement successful helping comparison the city’s collisions to different places and illuminating which buildings whitethorn beryllium astir unsafe to migrating birds. The extremity of Lights Out Northeast Florida is to successfully nudge gathering managers to alteration lighting during migration, though homeowners tin besides play a cardinal relation successful keeping nighttime skies acheronian for birds, Taylor said. “Half the occupation is residential.”

Collision deaths thin to beryllium higher during the autumn due to the fact that vertebrate populations are astatine their peak, Kratter said.

“Most of the further migrating birds hatched this year, and they’re conscionable not arsenic experienced,” helium said. “They whitethorn beryllium a period old, and each of a sudden, they’re doing a 2,500-mile-long flight.”

Examining window-strke burd

Rachel Woods, a University of Florida graduate, examines the magnitude of deterioration connected an ovenbird's feathers, 1 of galore features recorded during specimen mentation astatine the Florida Museum's ornithology collection. MORE PHOTOS

The University of Florida besides hosts a iNaturalist project to papers birds who died aft crashing into buildings and windows connected campus. Red-eyed vireos marque up 69 of the 219 vertebrate deaths recorded truthful far, followed by cedar waxwings, with 33 deaths, and communal yellowthroats, with 15. Some of these birds besides became depository specimens, ensuring they “didn’t dice wholly successful vain,” Kratter said. A amended knowing of the occupation could assistance pb to solutions.

“As we stitchery much information connected vertebrate strikes, we mightiness commencement to spot immoderate patterns,” helium said. “This benignant of task hasn’t been done connected a ample standard successful this portion of the country.”

More accusation connected Lights Out Northeast Florida is disposable connected the Duval Audubon website, and Jacksonville-based volunteers can sign up here.

The images featured present were inspired by the enactment of photographer Jak Wonderly in a 2020 National Geographic article on birds killed by home cats successful the U.S.

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