Cats Indoors
The Bird Alliance of Central New Mexico joins many environmental groups in advocating to keep cats indoors. Research shows that cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year in the U.S. alone, making cat predation by far the largest source of direct, human-caused mortality to birds.
For more information on this immense problem for bird populations, visit the American Bird Conservancy website or Contact Us.
Veterinarians and humane societies recommend that cats be spayed or neutered and kept indoors because indoor cats lead longer, healthier lives. To learn how to maintain a happy, healthy indoor cat, visit the website for the Humane Society of the United States or talk to your veterinarian.
Window Collisions
Many local and migrating birds are killed when they collide with high rise buildings, as well as with other buildings and homes. In 2014, Smithsonian researchers showed that between 365 million and 1 billion birds are killed annually in the United States when they collide with windows. Surprisingly, 44% of all birds killed die when they collide with homes and buildings only one and three stories tall.
Everyone can work toward decreasing deadly bird collisions with windows. Homeowners and businesses can make simple changes to windows and window coverings to prevent strikes. For more information and practical solutions to this devastating problem, visit the American Bird Conservancy or the National Audubon Society websites, or Contact Us.
Lights Out
Every year, between 3.5 and 4 billion birds migrate across North America, most of them flying at night. These birds are vulnerable to distraction and disorientation caused by bright lights from city buildings and surface lighting, and often veer dangerously off-course or become lost and trapped in locations not meant for birds. Individuals and communities can work toward decreasing excessive and unnecessary illumination, especially during key migration times. For more information on what you can do at home and how you can encourage your city to join in this vital initiative to help birds migrate safely, visit the webpages for the National Audubon Society Lights Out program or Contact Us.