Birds Are Super Awesome!
They dominate the skies, eat up all the nasty bugs that bug us, and feed many other animals. Without them our ecosystem would fall apart.

Our Main Concern
Unfortunately, our windows are hurting them, and most of the time they end up dying.

• Window strikes are the 2nd biggest killer of migratory songbirds!

Nothing in nature is like the glass we use, clear as air and hard as rock. The reflection tricks birds into thinking that there could be a tree they can land on! Because of this, birds don't know any better and fly into them.

• ​Birds that hit windows have a 50% chance of dying.

• In Canada it is estimated that about 25 MILLION birds die by hitting windows every year [1]. That's just in one country! Think about how many countries there are in the world and how many other birds are dying.
• Most birds that hit windows are migratory species!

Reflections of nature in windows

Solutions[2]

Watch for windows that you think birds will hit! 

• This is usually glassed in porches, or windows facing lots of bushes and trees. 
• Remember to keep in mind the seasons birds are most likely to hit windows. Such as migration season!

In Manitoba our migration seasons are usually around mid-September to mid-November or early December and mid-March to early May.

Break up the reflection of the window from the outside

• Look at the multiple activities you can do with your kids on our activities page. There are plenty of activities to choose from and lots of fun to have!

Closing curtains may also so help! 
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What to do with an injured bird[2]

 If you happen to see a bird with it's eyes close, not moving, and still breathing, it may be in a coma. See if you can get close to it. 

• If you can, gently put it into a cardboard box and place a dish towel over the top and leave the box somewhere safe outside.
• Go back to check on the bird after 15 minutes. If the bird it okay, it will fly out the minute you lift the towel off! If not, try giving it more time. But check back every 15 minutes. 
• If the bird hasn't left after an hour call:
  • ​Prairie Wildlife Rehab: 204-510-1855
  • Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre: 204-878-3740

©Thomas LeBlanc monarchbfly.com

The Team Behind Manitoba Bird Secure
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Vicky Tang: Undergraduate student in the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba. In pursuit of conservation studies. Her hobbies include cooking and creative writing. She enjoys camping. 

Sarah Stecy: Undergraduate student at the U of M, majoring in environmental science and minoring in entomology. Enjoys sewing and cooking. 

Alyssa Del Rosario: Current Undergraduate student in the Faculty of Science in pursuit of a major in Microbiology at the University of Manitoba. She likes traveling to warm places. 

Christina Tran: Current Undergraduate student in the Price Faculty of Engineering in pursuit of a major in Biosystems Engineering at the University of Manitoba. One of her hobbies includes playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Sources:

1. Machtans, Craig S, et al. “A First Estimate for Canada of the Number of Birds Killed by Colliding with Building Windows.” Avian Conservation and Ecology , vol. 8, no. 6, 2015, pp. 241–264., doi:10.9737/hist.2018.658.
2. Emily Mckinnon. Ornithologist at the University of Manitoba