Bird friendly buildings can be beautiful, with solutions that can be DIY or architectural. Research has shown that creating visual noise can help birds recognize glass as a barrier. To create ‘noise’, a pattern is applied on the exterior of the glass, with spaces smaller than 4 inches wide or smaller than 2 inches tall. Think of it as creating a pattern that tells the bird “you’re too big to fit through these gaps”.
Patterns going across the window with gaps 2 inches tall.
Vertical pattern with gaps 4 inches wide.
Check out this gallery for inspiration:
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- Creating a pattern helps birds view the glass as an obstacle.
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- There are lots of beautiful ways to incorporate the 2″ x 4″ rule for bird friendly windows.
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- Ceramic rods across the facade of the New York Times building serve many functions– and they make these windows safe for birds. photo by joe mazza / brave lux
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- A mural on this window elminates reflections.
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- The small pieces of glass in this beautiful old window break up reflections.
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- You can see the streetscape reflected in the first floor windows of this store, but the upper floor windows, which have a decorative pattern, show no reflection.