Expert: Julia Booth - 8/27/2010

Question
QUESTION: A few years ago when I was out in the garden, I saw a bird flew into our house. I thought it would never happen when you have an open door. On our site, we have two houses so some time later, a bird flew into the second house. I do not know if it was the same bird but you may be glad it does not happen again. Why would a bird do such a thing? and if the door would have been closed would the bird then flown into the door and died?

ANSWER: When you say into, I'm going to assume you mean literally. As in, the bird collided with the house.

Why they do this? Poor vision mostly. They don't have the same kind of depth perception that we do, meaning they can not judge distance very well, if there are not other objects nearby to use as reference. If a surface, like a window, is totally transparent, they will not realize there is something there and they will fly right into it.

The majority of birds have one eye on either side of their head, as opposed to both on the front. The helps them to see a wider range at once, but also puts them at a disadvantage in regards to depth. You might notice that predatory birds, such as hawks and owls, have both eyes set on the front.

I have only seen one bird die this way. They usually just get stunned.

They actually make some products to prevent this:

http://howtogardenguide.com/2008/04/11/birds-flying-into-windows/

http://www.old-fashioned-values.com/get_item_birdalert_stop-birds-flying-into-wi

Or realistically, you could make your own:

http://www.borntogarden.com/2009/02/are-birds-flying-into-or-pecking-at-your-gla


Let me know if you need more information,

Julia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Is it also good to turn off the lights during night time? i heard a bird lover who said we should do so? is there a good reason?

Answer
I'm assuming that this is based on the theory that birds are attracted to light?

The thing is, most of the birds that would accidentally fly into your windows are diurnal, meaning they are asleep when it's dark.

Owls and nightjars have better night vision, because they are nocturnal. They are unlikely to crash into your windows.

The only reason to turn out lights at night, in my personal experience, is when you seem to be attracting mockingbirds. They will sing all night long and tend to be attracted to homes with bright porch lights, for some reason. This is the case in both urban and rural areas.




~Julia