Exhibit Shines Light On Plight Of Migratory Birds

CHICAGO (CBS) — An exhibit aimed at bringing public awareness to the number of migrating birds that fall prey to skyscrapers and other buildings has opened at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

“A Broken Journey: The Collision Between Songbirds And Mankind” showcases more than 3,000 photos of dead birds taken by a local photographer, after they collided with buildings in Chicago.

According to the museum, hundreds of millions of birds are killed in building collisions in the United States every year.

“We could have a billion birds die across the country, simply as a result of running into things that people build, and a lot of people simply aren’t aware of that,” said Steve Sullivan, curator of urban ecology for the Chicago Academy of Sciences. “Part of the reason that birds run into windows is that windows during the day act like mirrors.”

WBBM 780’s Mariam Sobh

Sullivan said birds also are attracted to light coming out of buildings at night, and often end up circling for hours, and falling from exhaustion.

“If you get out there early enough in the morning, during the migration season, you’re going to be seeing dead birds at the base of buildings,” he said.