NYC skyscrapers dim lights to help migratory birds

A growing number of New York skyscrapers are switching off their lights to help reduce the number of birds hitting the high-rise buildings.

The “lights out” project – organised by NYC Audubon – runs from September 1st to November 1st, when migratory birds are expected to have completed their autumn migrations.

An estimated 90,000 birds each year are killed in the city as a result of striking glass-fronted buildings. Organisers of the annual initiative say the bright lights disorientate the migrating birds. The birds are reluctant to fly from a well-lit area to a dark one. Confused by artificial lights, they circle repeatedly within the light field, colliding with the buildings.

NYC Audubon – a group that works to protect wild birds and their habitats within the city – is calling on owners and tenants in high-rise buildings to switch off lights on unoccupied floors or unused space between midnight and dawn.

(by Mark Kinver Science , BBC News)