Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: American Robin

Making your home bird friendly is easier than you think!

This week we are featuring two American Robins who came to the Center within 24 hours of each other, both as window strike victims.

Photos / Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

In the past, after a window strike, rehabilitators recommended containing the bird and allowing it to rest for a few hours before seeing if it could fly off. That’s no longer the case.

If the bird hit hard enough that you can grab them and contain them, give us, or a local licensed rehabilitator, a call right away. Even when these birds have no obvious injuries and are able to fly off, it’s been found that many suffer ongoing internal bleeding, eye damage, and delayed effects of traumatic brain injury. These issues are likely to result in death if released without professional care.

Window strikes are estimated to kill nearly 1 billion birds per year. Many people want to prevent collisions, but there are a few common mistakes people make. To make your windows as safe as possible, follow the advice below.

These two robins are recovering well – we hope that more of the windows they come across in the future are bird safe!

Prevent window collisions at home

This guide from American Bird Conservancy is a great resource for home owner’s looking for simple solutions to prevent bird collisions.

• Keep bird feeders less than 3 feet from your window or more than 30 feet away. When feeders are between 3-30 feet from a window, birds see the reflection and may fly at the window. At this distance, they have the space to accelerate to deadly speeds.
• Patterns and lines can be used to prevent strikes. This can be done with tape, tempera paint, ABC/CollidEscape/FeatherFriendly birdtape, decals, or other materials. These must be placed on the OUTSIDE of the window. They must be at least 1/8” thick lines/tape and horizontal/vertical lines should be 2” or less apart.
• Decals of raptors or other images are not deterrents due to their shape, they are simply visual obstacles. These decals will work, but the spacing rules (<2”) must be followed, requiring MANY decals.
• If you don’t want to put anything on the glass itself, screens (placed on the outside) or Acopian Bird Savers (also called “zen window curtains”) can be used.

Looking for an easy way to help native wildlife? Become a monthly BRWC donor! For as little as $5/month, you can provide year-round, sustainable support that helps us fulfill our mission.