The highest mortality counts happen on windy nights during large migration events—when the highest number of lights were left on
Like an insect attracted to a bug zapper, artificial light is harming migratory birds by throwing them off course and causing deadly collisions. Now, a new study highlights just how beneficial switching off the lights can be. The work, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed decades of bird collision and lighting data at McCormick Place Lakeside Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Turning off half of city lights at night could cut bird mortality by up to 60 percent
Like an insect attracted to a bug zapper, artificial light is harming migratory birds by throwing them off course and causing deadly collisions. Now, a new study highlights just how beneficial switching off the lights can be. The work, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed decades of bird collision and lighting data at McCormick Place Lakeside Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Turning off half of city lights at night could cut bird mortality by up to 60 percent