Chicago Building Where Nearly 1,000 Birds Died in One Night Last Fall Installs Bird-Safe Window Film

The glass-covered lakefront convention center has long been known among wildlife advocacy groups as a site of mass casualties for migratory birds

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent

July 23, 2024 4:10 p.m.

Last October, a lakeside event venue in Chicago made headlines around the world after nearly 1,000 birds died in a single night after crashing into the building’s glass exterior. The next morning, the ground outside McCormick Place Lakeside Center looked like a “carpet of dead birds,” as one shocked onlooker described it at the time.

Now, ahead of the annual fall migration, the building’s managers are taking steps to make the facility safer for avians passing through the city. The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which manages McCormick Place, is investing $1.2 million to cover the venue’s windows with a special film that’s designed to prevent birds from colliding into glass. Crews started work in early June and expect to wrap up by early September.

In addition to installing the film, the center plans to continue taking other steps to thwart collisions, such as drawing the drapes and shutting off lights at night, which is when many migratory species do most of their flying.

“As an organization that strives to be a good neighbor and environmental steward, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) remains committed to minimizing McCormick Place’s impact on local and migratory birds,” says Larita Clark, MPEA’s chief executive officer, in a statement, as reported by WTTW’s Patty Wetli.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chicago-building-where-nearly-1000-birds-died-in-one-night-last-fall-installs-bird-safe-window-film-180984755/