Bird-Safe Resources and Tools

Every collision reported contributes to the evidence base for bird-safe buildings across Canada.

Add yours to the Global Bird Collision Mapper now

Bird-window collisions are preventable. Whether you're looking for simple solutions at home or technical guidance for a commercial building, these resources can help.

For Homeowners and Renters

Explore practical tools and printable resources to make windows safer for birds.

• BirdSafe® DIY Building Risk Assessment App — identify which windows on your property pose the greatest risk to birds

• Bird-Collision Deterrent Products and Vendors — BirdSafe.ca

• Are Birds Hitting Your Windows? — printable poster (PDF) (update URL)

• Why Birds Can't See Glass — Bird and Moon comic (PDF) (update URL)

• FLAP Homeowner Brochure — English (PDF) (update URL)

• FLAP Homeowner Brochure — French (PDF) (update URL)

For Building Managers and Developers

Use these technical resources for commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential buildings.

• BirdSafe® Building Standard for Mitigating Daytime Bird-Window Collisions (PDF) (update URL)

• Bird Safety in Climate-Resilient Buildings: Synergies and Trade-offs, 2024 (PDF) (update URL)

• Review of Federal Government Programs Related to Buildings, Climate and Bird Safety, 2024 (PDF) (update URL)

• Bird Safe Building Standard for Federal Government Buildings, 2018 (PDF) (update URL)

Here are the most widely referenced bird-friendly building standards across Canada and the United States. For product specifications and vendor listings, visit BirdSafe.ca.

Canada

Canadian Standards Association

• CSA A460:19 — Bird-Friendly Building Design Standard

Toronto, Ontario

• Toronto Bird-Friendly Development Guidelines — the world's first!

• Toronto Green Standard, Tier 1 v.3 — City Agency, Corporation and Division Owned Facilities

• Bird-Friendly Best Practices Glass, July 2016 (PDF)

• Best Practices for Effective Lighting, April 2017 (PDF)

• Birds of Toronto, Biodiversity Series (PDF)

Markham, Ontario

• Bird Friendly Guidelines, January 2014 (PDF)

Ottawa, Ontario

• City of Ottawa Bird-Safe Design Guidelines, September 2020 (PDF)

• NCC Bird-Safe Design Guidelines (PDF)

Vancouver, British Columbia

• Bird Friendly Landscape Operational Guidelines, January 2015 (PDF)

FLAP Canada

• BirdSafe® Building Standards for Mitigating Daytime Bird-Window Collisions v2018 (PDF) (update URL)

United States

• San Francisco, California — Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings, 2011

• Portland, Oregon — Resource Guide for Bird-Friendly Building Design, 2012

• Audubon MN — Bird-Safe Building Guidelines, 2010 (PDF)

• US Green Building Council — LEED Credit: Bird Collision Deterrence, 2009

• State of California — Green Building Standards Code: Bird-Friendly Building Design, 2012 (PDF)

• State of New York — The Bird-Friendly Council Act, 2017

• American Bird Conservancy and NYC Audubon — Bird-Friendly Building Design, 2015 (PDF)

• Swiss Ornithological Institute — Bird-Friendly Building with Glass and Light, 2013 (PDF)

• US Fish and Wildlife Service — Reducing Bird Collisions with Buildings: Best Practices, 2016 (PDF)

• Urban Bird Treaty — Glass and Building Bird Collision Information (PDF)

Explore this collection of papers and studies which help inform bird-safe building advocacy in Canada.

Key studies

• Navigating a Path: Advocacy Strategies of a Migratory Bird NGO, 2024

• Citizen Science to Address the Global Issue of Bird-Window Collisions

• Migratory Songbirds and Urban Window Collision Mortality — Species, Diel Timing, and Age Class, 2022 (PDF) (update URL)

• An Analysis of Collision Mitigation Effectiveness, 2018(PDF)

• Window Collisions by Migratory Bird Species: Urban Geographical Patterns and Habitat Associations, 2015 (PDF)

• A First Estimate for Canada of the Number of Birds Killed by Colliding with Building Windows, 2013

• Common Public Misconceptions About Bird-Window Collisions and Methods for Prevention (PDF) (update URL)

• Effects of Light Reduction on Collision of Migratory Birds, 2002 (PDF)

• The Hazards of Lighted Structures and Windows to Migratory Birds, 1996 (PDF)

Species and population data

• FLAP Canada Bird Species List, 2024

• World List of Bird Species Documented to Strike Sheet Glass or Plastic, updated November 2023 (PDF)

Climate change and birds

• Bird Safety in Climate-Resilient Buildings: Synergies and Trade-offs, 2024 (PDF) (UPDATE)

• The Impact of Climate Change on the Journeys of Migrant Birds — Royal Society, 2017

• Climate Change Is Causing Birds to Shrink — BBC, 2019

• Climate Change: 11 Facts You Need to Know — Conservation.org

Meet others who are working towards bird-safe cities, light pollution reduction, and collision prevention across Canada. Connect with your local community of fellow bird-advocates, and consider volunteering with FLAP Canada.

• Lights Out Toronto — City of Toronto

• Safe Wings Ottawa

• Calgary Migratory Species Response Team

• Nature Canada's Bird-Friendly City Program

• Royal Astronomical Society of Canada — Lights Out Program

• International Dark-Sky Association

United States

• National Audubon Society — Existing Lights Out Programs

Explore our latest newsletter, brochures, and other downloadable resources. Stay up to date with FLAP by subscribing for our newsletter now.

• Touching Down — Fall 2025 Newsletter (PDF)

• Template Letter to Council (DOCX) — for residents and advocates approaching municipal government on bird-safe building policy

• FLAP Homeowner Brochure — English (PDF) (update URL)

• FLAP Homeowner Brochure — French (PDF)

• Common Birds of Toronto Field Guide, 2009 (PDF)