almost everyone has, at some point or another, walked into a glass door or screen. after shaking off the initial embarrassment and checking to see if there were any witnesses, the consequences are usually mild. however, the same cannot be said for many birds. while humans learn to adapt and avoid these obstacles, a single window strike for a bird can result in severe injury or death. in the united states, building collisions, due to glass, lead to over 1 billion bird deaths every year. 

now, companies around the world are racing to develop glass with innovative designs, patterns, and elements that birds can see and, hopefully, avoid. despite this influx of “bird-safe” glass products, there are only two testing sites in the entire united states – both run by the american bird conservancy – that assess whether these glass designs are truly effective. these testing tunnels use groundbreaking methods and rigorous field research to examine the functionality of bird-safe glass. one such tunnel, located deep in rural maryland, is on the front lines of the fight to conserve and protect birds across the world.

you can also see the first installment of patched wings here!