Birds collide with buildings, especially windows, with astonishing frequency. A 2014 study in the journal The Condor found that between 365 and 988 million birds are killed annually by building collisions in the United States. And in 2019, research published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment revealed that Chicago, Houston, and Dallas are the most dangerous cities for migratory birds in the lower 48 states in both spring and fall.
Fortunately, conservation groups and individual birders are working to mitigate the problem. You can help! Below is a list of 28 programs in North American cities (listed alphabetically by state or province) that encourage building owners to turn off unnecessary lights during migratory periods. Some of the programs also manage volunteer efforts to collect birds that hit buildings and rescue those that are injured. To get involved, visit an organizer’s website.
Lights Out San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Golden Gate Audubon
Lights Out Denver
Denver, Colorado
Denver Parks & Recreation
Lights Out Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Delmarva Ornithological Society
Lights Out DC
Washington, D.C.
City Wildlife
Lights Out Atlanta and Project Safe Flight Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta Audubon Society
Chicago Bird Collisions Monitors
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Audubon Society
Lights Out Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Audubon Society
Lights Out Indy
Indianapolis, Indiana
Amos Butler Audubon
Lights Out Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore Bird Club
Lights Out Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
Mass Audubon
Avian Collision Team
Boston, Massachusetts
Mass Audubon
Safe Passage Great Lakes
Detroit, Ann Arbor, and other cities in Michigan
Detroit Audubon, Michigan Audubon, and Washtenaw Audubon
Lights Out Twin Cities
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Rochester, and other cities in Minnesota
Minnesota Audubon
Project Safe Flight
New York, New York
New York City Audubon
Lights Out Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Mecklenburg Audubon
Raleigh Lights Out
Raleigh, North Carolina
Wake Audubon
Lights Out Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Forsyth Audubon
Ohio Lights Out
Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo, Ohio
Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative
Safe Passage Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City Audubon
Safe Wings Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa Field-Naturalists’ Club
FLAP Canada
Toronto, Ontario
Fatal Light Awareness Program
Lights Out Bend
Bend, Oregon
East Cascades Audubon Society
Lights Out Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland Audubon
BirdSafe Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Lights Out Salt Lake
Salt Lake City, Utah
Tracy Aviary
Charlottesville Area Window Watch
Charlottesville, Virginia
www.facebook.com/charlottesvilleareawindowwatch
Wisconsin Night Guardians for Songbirds
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Humane Society
Songways
The goal of this program is to help protect the natural dark night along bird flyways.
Light Pollution Abatement Committee of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
Facebook page
Updated, 8/20/19
If you know of a program that should be listed here but isn’t, please let us know!
Prevent birds from hitting windows with these products
Read our newsletter!
Sign up for our free e-newsletter to receive news, photos of birds, attracting and ID tips, and more delivered to your inbox.
Sign Up for Free
