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Leaving lights on at night can disorient migratory birds flying overhead, potentially leading them to collide with buildings and face injury or death. But a campaign called Lights Out Texas is informing residents that they can save birds’ lives by turning off their bulbs at night.
Lights Out Texas’ mission is to help reduce migratory bird mortality, and the effort is spearheaded by universities, nonprofits and other organizations. Together, the conservation coalition is asking residents to start going dark from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Birds’ fall migration period lasts from Aug. 15 to Nov. 30, according to Audubon Texas’ Lights Out Texas website. And the peak migration period is between Sept. 5 and Oct. 29.
Birds rely on natural signals like the light from the stars and moon to migrate, said Julia Wang, BirdCast project leader at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Artificial lights at night can disrupt birds’ navigational ability and increase the risk of collisions, which is why it’s important to turn them off.
“We figure it’s an easy task,” Wang said. “And it’s a win-win because we’re helping the birds and we’re also reducing energy costs for building owners at large.”
Wang notes that Lights Out Texas was eventually launched after some 400 birds perished upon hitting a building in Galveston in 2017. Major bird strikes have also recently occurred in other cities across the U.S. In 2020, for example, the Philadelphia area saw around 1,000 birds crash in a single day.
A few years ago, a study of migratory birds in urban areas found that they faced the highest risk in Chicago, Wang said. The second- and third-most dangerous cities were Houston and Dallas, respectively.
“Since 1970, we’ve lost about one in four of our birds. It’s heartbreaking.” – Julia Wang, BirdCast project leader
But the issue has been long-running.
“We’re very concerned because bird populations in America have decreased so greatly over the last few decades,” Wang said. “Since 1970, we’ve lost about one in four of our birds. It’s heartbreaking.”
The Lone Star State plays a critical role in global bird migration, according to BirdCast’s website. Roughly 1 in 4 birds traveling through the country fly over Texas each fall.
Luckily, the issue of bird collisions is something that’s easy to get involved in and easy to solve, said Joni Carswell, CEO of the nonprofit Texan by Nature, which is listed as one of Lights Out Texas’ founding and coordinating organizations. (Audubon Texas is the lead facilitator.) Research shows that if you change your light practices, birds will be able to migrate safely, with far fewer casualties.
Aside from simply turning out the lights, Carswell advises that people change bulbs’ color to be more bird-friendly and direct fixtures to face downward.
Those who are interested in helping out can sign a pledge on the Texas Conservation Alliance website and get a yard sign, she said. Volunteers can also seek out ways to sign up to help conservation efforts locate fallen birds for research and rehabilitation.
“There are ways to get involved, whether it’s a sign and sharing on social media, encouraging workplaces to get involved and sign a pledge,” Carswell said, “or whether it’s actually on the ground, volunteering with a couple of the groups that are operating in your local area.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify that Audubon Texas is the campaign’s lead facilitator.
