According to bird migration expert Christiaan Both, from the University of Groningen, last Monday’s storm is probably the reason that so many birds were now at the bottom of the towers. “If migratory birds have a headwind, they fly lower than when they have a tailwind. Because of the storm, they ended up at the height of the buildings.”
The bright light also has an attractive effect on the animals. “Migratory birds navigate by the light of the moon and the stars, but the light that is on in the buildings makes them disoriented,” says Both.
Lights out
Bird conservation is therefore calling on the World Trade Center to turn off the lights of the towers during the bird migration, and to adapt the buildings in such a way that birds can see it better.
The spokesperson for the project developer of the skyscrapers says that migratory birds have been taken into account in the design. “For example, the first sixty meters of glass are not reflective.” Tenants of office buildings are also asked to turn off the lights during bird migration.
This kind of bird death is much less common in the Netherlands, says Both. “That’s because the difference between light and dark is smaller in the Netherlands.”
Some birds survived the collision with the skyscraper. 77 animals were collected and cared for by the bird protection.
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