WASHINGTON — DC Councilmembers have proposed new legislation that attempts to help stop the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of birds in the District.
Councilmembers Mary M. Cheh, Janeese Lewis George, Brooke Pinto, Charles Allen, and Anita Bonds sent a letter proposing the legislation to Secretary Nyasha Smith on March 14.
In the letter, written by Cheh, the councilmembers propose that buildings in D.C. start using bird-friendly glass and retrofit existing buildings with bird-friendly products. The legislation is called the Migratory Local Wildlife Protection Act of 2022.
Cheh writes that the current untreated glass that is used in windows, doorways or other areas of large buildings poses a "significant and growing risk" to wildlife.
"Each year, anywhere between 365 million and 1 billion birds in the United States die following collisions with glass," writes Cheh. "In fact, glass collisions are the second leading man-made cause of death for birds,"
Cheh explains that the heightened risk to the animals is due to the transparency and reflectivity of the glass building elements, making it so birds cannot distinguish between the horizon and a solid building. Migratory birds flying at night may also have issues with seeing and being attracted to lights inside these buildings.
Since 1970, bird populations in North America have decreased by approximately 29% partially because of collisions with glass elements, Cheh said, referencing a report from a 2019 Science.org article.
The American Bird Conservancy say while some birds may only be temporarily stunned after hitting the glass, often they are not so lucky. They claim many birds suffer internal hemorrhages, concussions, or damage to their bills, wings, eyes, or skulls. Many times, the birds are killed immediately upon impact.
"Millions of birds migrate through the District each year, and, due to the proliferation of predominantly glass buildings, thousands are killed," writes Cheh.
City Wildlife in D.C. has identified nearly 4,500 birds injured or killed after colliding with glass buildings between Union Station and Chinatown since 2010. The council members hope the legislation will help prevent the growing numbers of birds dying after hitting the glass buildings.
The legislation aims to retrofit existing hazardous building elements with bird-friendly products specifically designed to make glass a visible obstacle for wildlife. The glass will still be transparent for human use. Ideas include treating glass with ultraviolet coating, silk-screening, or fritting, or even adhering decals.
The legislation would require that all new construction, substantial improvements, and certain design elements at commercial, multi-unit residential, 5 institutional, and government-owned buildings be constructed using bird-friendly materials by January 1, 2023.
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