NC State Follows Raleigh’s Lead to Look at Bird Safety

Earlier this week, Raleigh government officials announced that they will dim non-essential lights in city buildings during the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. to decrease the likelihood of migrating birds flying into the buildings.

This initiative comes out of the city’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan, a long-range plan that covers energy conservation and wildlife habitat as well as neighborhood and economic development.

According to the Wake County Audubon Society, who documented bird collisions and deaths in Downtown Raleigh from spring of 2013 to fall of 2015, some of Raleigh’s city-owned buildings have the highest collision rates.

Dr. Chris Moorman, professor and coordinator of the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Program here at the College of Natural Resources agreed with the city’s changes.

He said, “Dimming building lights at night is a very simple step we can take to reduce the impact of urbanization on wildlife. And it saves energy.”

On campus, we’re making strides to becoming more bird-friendly as well.

Undergraduates in the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology program recently started a multi-year study looking at bird strikes on our campus to decrease the number of bird collisions and create sustainable solutions for both the built and natural environments here at NC State.