Chicago area residents should turn off lights for migratory birds, officials say
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Animal Care and Control and other agencies asked everyone Monday night and Tuesday night to turn out any lights that do not need to be on – to help save migrating birds.
Some 400 million birds are on the move, and Illinois is in the area of high-intensity migration both nights.
Experts said light pollution can disorient the birds, causing them to fly into tall buildings and windows.
Bird experts said turning off any non-essential lights may help prevent scenes like one in October – when a total of 961 birds crashed into the windows at McCormick Place Lakeside Center and died.
At the time, the birds were making their migratory journeys south.
A combination of rainy weather and bright lights from the convention center were believed to be to blame. Several more birds were also found dead downtown.
The City of Evanston, which also put out a plea to turn off the lights for the birds, said an estimate ranging from 365 million to 988 million birds die in collisions with buildings every year.
Officials advise everyone to turn off or dim any decorative or non-essential building lighting, close curtains and blinds to keep interior lighting from escaping, and refrain from illuminating lobbies, plants, or fountains that could attract birds.
