Migratory Birds
World Migratory Bird Day: Shared Spaces
WMBD 2025 will emphasize that every community—urban to rural—can play a significant role in supporting migratory birds. Through good city planning, and by adopting bird-friendly practices like creating healthy habitats, reducing pollution, and preventing collisions with glass windows and other built objects, communities can significantly contribute to the well-being of migratory birds.
Urban expansion and man-made environments, if not managed properly, pose significant threats to these birds, leading to habitat loss and increasing the risks like fatal collisions with buildings and glass. Through good upstream planning for sustainable urban development that avoids sprawl and destruction of habitat as well as collaborative efforts with neighbors, schools, and local organizations, everyone can protect birds and raise awareness about their importance to the health of the planet and its ecosystems. By bringing nature back into our cities and working together, citizens and elected officials alike can help our natural environments and lessen the negative effects of urbanization on biodiversity.
Call to Action
Sustainable State College advocates for simple yet effective strategies that individuals can implement to protect insects and birds:
- Insect-Friendly Gardens: plant native flowers, shrubs, and trees that provide habitat for insects.
- Support organic farming: select organic products, thereby avoiding harmful pesticides and reducing habitat destruction linked to property development or landscaping practices.
- Minimize habitat destruction: when developing or landscaping your property, try to compensate for the loss and preserve natural areas.
- Support pollinator-friendly initiatives: advocate for and support local policies and initiatives that protect insects and their habitats.
Additionally, we emphasize the importance of educating friends and family about the role insects play in our ecosystem, and support educational efforts aimed at insect conservation, promoting their conservation at the community level.
Check out the following organizations and initiatives that support insect, plant, and bird conservation:
Pennsylvania Native Plant Society
Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center
Penn State Center for Pollinator Research
We have a shared destiny with migratory birds and insects. Each step we take towards conservation is a step towards a sustainable future.
The Issue
Annual bird mortality resulting from window collisions in the U.S. is estimated to be between 365-988 million birds (Loss et al. 2014). About 44% of collisions occur at residential buildings while the other 56% occur at high- and low-rise buildings.
The Borough of State College is working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to address human-caused sources of bird mortality. Bird population declines can harm ecosystem integrity and reduce ecological and economic services. The magnitude of bird losses needs a strong response and an increased focus on tangible actions that result in measurable conservation outcomes.
Reflectivity & Transparency
Birds do not see clear or reflective glass (Klem and Saenger, 2013). Windows reflect the sky, trees, and open spaces that birds see as a clear flight path and continuation of habitat.
Light Pollution
Songbirds often migrate at night and use the stars to find their way. Light pollution from artificial lights can drown out the stars and confuse birds, often resulting fatal collisions. During spring and fall bird migrations, when inclement weather occurs, birds can be attracted to light structures resulting in collisions, entrapment, excess energy expenditure, and even exhaustion in some situations (Manville 2009). This phenomenon has resulted in a concentrated avian mortality event at buildings where bright lights are placed in otherwise dark areas (McLaren et al. 2018; Horton et al. 2019). Light pollution has serious ecological impacts, waste electricity, and increases greenhouse gas emissions.