Birds

Bird Collisions

According to the American Bird Conservancy, an estimated 300 million to 1 billion birds die each year from collisions with glass on buildings.  Birds simply can’t tell the difference between reflections from reality. Even if a bird flies away after striking a window, it may die elsewhere as a result of the collision.

Learn more about preventing window strikes by birds on the American Bird Conservancy website.

Free Roaming Cats

A recent study by the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.4 to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 to 20.7 billion mammals annually. Unowned or feral cats cause the majority of this mortality. To find out how you can reduce the impact of cats on wildlife, see the Cats Indoors Program webpage.

Backyard Wildlife Habitat

Creating a backyard wildlife habitat is a way to summon back native plants and wildlife species to your yard. Loss of habitat caused by deforestation, water pollution, and residential and commercial development threatens wildlife biodiversity and is a leading cause of the population decline of endangered species.

Learn more about landscape plant varieties that attract Wisconsin songbirds by viewing the following guide:

• Landscape Plants That Attract Birds (PDF)
• Beyond the Bird Feeder: Creating a Bird Friendly Yard with Native Wisconsin Plants (PDF)