Philadelphia is home to amazing birds. Sparrows, finches, starlings, and swifts fly high above that city in Pennsylvania. A bird even represents the city’s football team, the Philadelphia Eagles. Many fans cheer ‘”Go Birds!” at games.
Now, the people of Philly are working to protect birds on the move. They are doing that by turning out the lights!
Twice a year, millions of birds fly across the city during . When the weather gets colder, these flyers travel south to warmer areas. They begin their journey back north during springtime. Many birds are flying back to their summer homes now!
While most of us are catching Z’s, many birds are soaring through the moonlight. They may fly at night to enjoy cooler air and stay away from . But there is another danger at night. Each year, up to a billion birds die from crashing into buildings or windows in the United States. Birds use light from the Moon and stars to guide their way. Bright lights from buildings can lead birds away from their path.
The Lights Out program is a way to protect birds. It gets buildings to go dark at night. Philadelphia is taking part for the first time this year. It is dimming lights at night from April 1 to May 31. It will start again during fall migration. Philly will be joining many cities in the dark. Those include San Francisco, California, and New York City.
Bird Safe Philly is a group in Philadelphia. It came up with the idea to join the Lights Out program. Brian Quindlen works with the group. He said, “Over 1,000 dead birds were found in Philly after a nighttime migration" last October. Bird Safe Philly wanted to keep future birds from this fate.
It’s important to protect birds. If we lose the flyers, our whole will change. “Mother Nature is like the game of Jenga,” Quindlen said. “If you take the pieces out, things become weaker, and eventually, everything falls apart.”
Quindlen said there are many ways for people to help — even kids. Here are three quick fixes to make:
1. At night, turn off lights near windows. If you need a light on, just close the curtains!
2. Keep your outside lights pointing downward instead of facing up.
3. Trade white, red, and yellow lights for blue and green lights. Those attract fewer birds.
Updated April 1, 2021, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Victoria DeCoster
