City Council looks to make London more bird-friendly

High-rise buildings in the Forest City could become more bird-friendly in the future.

A report presented to a London City Council committee on Tuesday evening pledges to make London’s high-rises both safer for birds and more energy efficient.

“What we are seeing from the data regarding bird-related deaths, many of them are getting confused in flight when faced with tall high-rise-type buildings,” said member of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority board, Sandy Levin.

“Birds are often attracted to lights or believe a tree’s reflection in a glass window is the real thing,” he said.

The report looks to borrow from similar policies in cities such as Toronto, Markham, and Calgary.

“There are certain aspects the report lists that we can already do, such as turning off the lights in an office building late at night when nobody is around, or putting up blinders in windows,” Levin said.

“This, in turn, will not only make it safer for birds to fly around London, but will help make things more energy efficient as well,” he said.

Levin adds the report lists ways for builders to create buildings using less reflective material to make flight safer for birds.

The committee voted unanimously to send the report back to city staffers for more information on how to put the plan into action.