• Stop Birds from Hitting Your Windows

    bird safe window treatment

Bird-Safe Window Marker Guidelines

FLAP Canada follows the Canadian Standards Association A460 Bird Friendly Building Design standard for minimum specifications to treat glass for reducing bird collisions. We recommend that all manufacturing, marketing and applications of bird collision deterrents should conform to this standard. To do so, collision deterrents must provide sufficient visual markers (e.g., decals) in each package, as well as instructions and depictions of applications that align with CSA A460 specifications for markers to be spaced no wider than 5 x 5 cm apart to cover the entire surface of glass.

Visual markers applied to or in front of glass are required to help make windows visible to birds. These markers must meet the following criteria to work effectively:

  • Glass Surface

    Visual markers must be on the first (exterior) surface of the window.

  • Density of Marker Pattern

    There must be no more than 50 mm between visual markers.

  • Marker Coverage

    Visual marker patterns must cover the entire surface of the window.

  • Marker Contrast

    Visual markers must be in high contrast to the window surface under varying daylight conditions (sun, overcast, shading, etc.).

  • Size of Marker

    Visual markers must be a minimum of:

    • 4 mm in diameter for individual elements; or
    • 2 mm wide by 8 mm long for linear elements.

FLAP Canada provides the following guidance for consumers to consider:

  • Markers on glass that are spaced more than 5 x 5 cm apart will not provide sufficient coverage and birds will likely continue to collide with the glass. For products that only provide a small number of pieces in each package, it may be necessary to purchase multiple units to achieve adequate coverage.

  • Exercise caution when selecting ultraviolet (UV) treatments. FLAP Canada generally recommends choosing alternatives to UV treatments due to gaps in knowledge, identified through research, about the performance of these applications. These gaps include the following:

    • the effectiveness of UV treatments is reduced in the absence of direct sunlight, such as in overcast conditions or on north facing or shaded sides of buildings.
    • some bird species that are vulnerable to collisions with glass, such as owls and certain raptors, have limited to no sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
    • to perform effectively, ultraviolet treatments should reflect 20-40% of light in the range of 300-400 nanometer wavelengths per CSA A460.
    • like all bird collision deterrent markers, UV coatings must be applied to the first surface of glass; however, these UV coatings degrade relatively quickly due to exposure to the elements.
  • Some collision deterrents come with a post-installation warranty. FLAP Canada recommends choosing products that offer reasonable durability and longevity.

  • Consumers in Canada should be advised of consumer protection legislation that may be applicable in cases where products are being misrepresented or falsely advertised as having a desired effect (e.g., effectively preventing bird collisions) that is not adequately provided. For more information about rules for advertising that apply to bird collision deterrent technologies, and how to file a complaint with authorities, visit the links below:

Bird-Safe Window Options

There are a variety of attractive and affordable options to stop birds from hitting windows at your home or cottage, without affecting your view.
Here are just a few:

Decorative and Privacy Window Films

Frosted or decorative window films can be an attractive addition to your windows, while also helping birds to avoid a deadly collision with glass. Wallpaper for Windows is one company which offers an assortment of decorative window films. Look for a design that meets FLAP Canada’s Guidelines for Visual Markers or contact your local signage company. They may be able to do custom designs to create an attractive and bird-safe treatment. See what one homeowner did on the FLAP blog.

Replacement Windows and New Builds

Temporary Solutions

Guidelines on Bird-Feeder Placement

What Do Homeowners Have To Say?

  • "We have always enjoyed feeding songbirds and watching them from our kitchen window. Not so enjoyable was having birds colliding into the very window that allowed us to observe them. In some unfortunate cases a bird would not survive the collision. Since installing Bird Dots on our window we have eliminated these collisions and fatalities. The view to the outside is still clear yet it feels good that we are doing our part to protect the birds we care about."

    Jason H., Waterloo, Ontario

  • "I purchased the CollidEscape High-Performance BirdTape when I started to notice House Finches coming to visit a small feeder I‘d put up on my 13th floor balcony. I didn’t want them to fly into the glass balcony sides that seem to be common in current condo design. The tape was so easy to apply and worked wonderfully. I‘m happy to say the tape is still up 2 years later and still looks brand new. Ultimately though, I took the feeder down because while my balcony was now safe, I saw the birds going to other balconies that weren’t protected and I didn’t want them to get hurt because of me and my "safe" balcony."

    Cheryl R., Toronto, Ontario

  • "Having been involved with FLAP for several years, I felt I should put my money where my mouth was and make my windows bird friendly. I was grateful for the resource material provided by FLAP and after mulling it over, I chose the Feather-Friendly tape from Convenience Group, Inc. in Toronto. The dots have been on my windows almost 6 years. In addition to my own efforts, I‘ve had the windows professionally cleaned 3 times since, with no dots coming loose so far. I have been pleasantly surprised at how rarely I notice the dots when I’m looking out the window."

    Audrey D., Toronto, Ontario

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