Turn Off Lights at Night to Reduce Risk for Migrating Birds

GARNER, NC—Every spring and fall we make one of our biggest calls to action—turn off unnecessary outdoor lights at night for migrating birds. This fall is no different, and with migrating birds already on the move, it’s time to take the pledge again. 

Birds like the White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Yellow-rumped Warbler will soon take to the skies with a southward gaze, returning to their overwintering grounds as they do every year. These and other birds migrate mostly at night, using the moon and stars to navigate their sometimes thousand-mile-long journeys from the northern hemisphere.  

But artificial lights at night can disorient and distract birds—even flood lights on the side of your house can cause birds to lose course. This can cause them to collide with windows and reflective glass, an often fatal mistake. In fact, a recent study estimates that more than 1 billion birds die per year in the United States as a result of building collisions.   

Small structures like residential homes and apartments that are more abundant and scattered across the landscape are responsible for many of these bird-building collisions. That’s why it is so important for homeowners, renters, and building managers to turn off unnecessary lights at night now through November thirtieth. 

As fall migration brings greater bird traffic to our area, join the growing Lights Out movement. Here is what you can do to help no matter where you live or work:  

• Turn off exterior decorative lighting from 11pm to 6am now through November 30
• Extinguish pot and flood-lights
• Substitute strobe lighting wherever possible
• Reduce atrium lighting wherever possible
• Reduce interior lighting especially on higher stories
• Close blinds and curtains
• Down-shield exterior lighting to eliminate horizontal glare and all light directed upward
• Install automatic motion sensors and controls wherever possible 
• When converting to new lighting assess quality and quantity of light needed, avoiding over-lighting with newer, brighter technology   

Individuals don’t have to do this work alone. Thanks to chapter advocacy, cities and towns across the state now have Lights Out programs, including Asheville, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Charlotte, Cumberland County, Greensboro, Matthews, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem. To learn how you can get involved with an active Lights Out program, contact your local chapter and spread the word with this social media toolkit.  

About Audubon North Carolina