Science & Nature

Bird-Friendly Glass at McCormick Place is Working as Deadly Collisions Drop by 95%, Data Shows

Turns out, a polka dot pattern on glass really does save lives.

According to recently released information, bird collision deaths have dropped by as much as 95% at McCormick Place Lakeside Center after bird-friendly window film was installed on the convention center’s glass last summer, at a cost of $1.2 million.

Researchers at the nearby Field Museum have been collecting data on bird strike deaths at McCormick Place for decades. This past fall — the first migration season since the window film installation — fewer than 20 deaths were recorded, Dave Willard, retired Field Museum bird collections manager, told the Chicago Tribune.

That figure was a marked decline from the nearly 1,000 bird deaths that occurred at the convention center in a single day back in 2023.

“Field Museum researchers are very pleased to see the new bird-safe window film have such a measurably positive effect on bird collisions at Lakeside Center,” Julian Siggers, Field Museum president and CEO, said in a statement. 

The success at McCormick Place provides “an effective model for buildings regardless of their age or size,” Siggers added.

Martha Williams, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visited Lakeside Center on Wednesday to view the results first-hand.

For the past year, the service has been working toward voluntary implementation of bird-friendly practices “at meaningful scale.” 

In addition to McCormick Place, the service has consulted and partnered with the National Park Service, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Viking cruise ships on various solutions to increase bird safety when it comes to both light pollution and glass.

“McCormick Place Lakeside Center deserves hearty appreciation and recognition for the steps they have taken to drastically reduce bird collisions at their facility,“ Williams said in a statement. ”Their efforts will encourage others across the nation to take steps to make glass and lighting safer for migratory birds.”

While Lakeside Center may have been one of the deadliest buildings in Chicago for birds, it’s far from the only threat in a city that’s been labeled the most dangerous for birds in the country. Advocates continue to push for mandatory bird-friendly building requirements.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]

---