Alpen High Performance Products is thrilled to announce our new partnership with Pilkington AviSafe™, an innovative glass solution designed to reduce the number of bird collisions.
As part of this unique opportunity to work together, Alpen has managed to secure the FIRST ever Plinkington Avisafe Suncool project in North America.
AviSafe™, is unique because it utilizes a patterned UV enhanced coating that disrupts the reflection on the glass, making it visible to birds while remaining nearly invisible to the human eye. Unfortunately, up to 1 billion birds die each year in the U.S. from window strikes due to their inability to recognize glass barriers. AviSafe™, is a simple and effective solution that can help save countless birds’ lives.
Birds in flight can easily be deceived by reflections of vegetation, the sky, and other buildings, resulting in fatal collisions. The most common cause for collision is simply not perceiving windows as a barrier. Thus, they see reflections in the glass as an inviting open space and fly full speed ahead.
Of course, another thing to consider is that collisions can often occur when male birds attempt to defend their territories during mating season. When a male bird sees it’s reflection, it can easily assume the reflection is another competing male, and attack it repeatedly in a brave attempt to drive off the uninvited guest. Most notably, you can observe this behavior happening quite often with birds such as Robins or Flickers.
While not common, a very small percentage of birds can become intoxicated or disoriented due to disease from illness or consuming things such as fermented berries.
No matter the situation, Pilkington AviSafe™ glass coating is a solution that makes the glass more visible to birds while remaining barely visible to the human eye.
Now, while window decals and curtains, as well as keeping lights off during nighttime migrations can help protect birds from harm and keep our windows safe, AviSafe™, is truly the next innovation of protection.
To learn more about bird protection programs, check out the Fatal Light Awareness Program + BirdCast project, which both offer valuable information on preventing bird collisions and ensuring the safety of our feathered friends.
Things to know:
- Smithsonian studies estimate that 365 – 988 million birds collide with windows and other reflective and transparent surfaces on buildings and other manmade structures each year in the U.S.
- Studies show that 54-76 percent of window collisions are fatal.
- Larger, low-rise buildings four to 11 stories high caused 339 million deaths.
- Homes and other buildings one to three stories tall accounted for 44 percent of all bird fatalities, about 253 million bird deaths annually
- High-rise buildings, 11 floors and higher, kill 508,000 total birds annually.
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