Drone light shows are a recent advancement in technology, so research is limited on the effects of drone light and movement on birds.

However, nighttime drone displays are spectacles of artificial light. NYC Audubon knows from its decades of Project Safe Flight collision research that light pollution disrupts flight patterns and disorients millions of night-migrating birds—significantly contributing to the quarter of a million fatal collisions with buildings that happen each year in New York City.

Birds play a critical role in a healthy ecosystem; however, they are in steep decline due to habitat loss, climate change, predation by cats, and more. But the biggest continuing threats presented by New York City are artificial light at night and collisions with glass. 

Drone shows—spectacles of artificial light, often held in otherwise previously dark skies—can be detrimental to birds if not timed or sited correctly. Nighttime lighting, like that produced by drone light shows, is attractive and disorienting to migrating birds, pulling them toward brightly lit cities, like New York, and then driving collisions with window glass. 

While these lights may not seem like a major concern, it’s another threat to biodiversity that is already at risk. Migratory bird populations are doing poorly in North America—the 2022 “State of the Birds” report showed that the US and Canada have lost 3 billion breeding birds in the past 50 years—that’s 1 in 4 birds. With so many bird species at risk due to climate change and habitat loss, anything that poses a threat to migratory species must be addressed. 

Colonial nesting birds, such as those on New York City’s islands and beaches, are also at risk from drone shows because of their propensity for disturbance and nest abandonment. Learn more about these majestic yet vulnerable birds in our 2023 State of the Harbor Herons report.

The majority of New York City’s migratory birds migrate at night. This should be a time when risk factors during long-distance flight (like predation) are lower—but it is now a time when light pollution in urban areas peaks, and birds are in danger.

Artificial light at night, collisions with windows, and now drone shows are threats that birds are forced to contend with. Therefore drone shows during migration seasons (mid-March through early June, and mid-August through mid-November) pose a hazard for the millions of birds traveling over New York City on their ancient migratory routes.

As drone light shows become more common, there is a need for better guidelines. For future drone shows, NYC Audubon hopes to consult on bird-friendly siting and timing guidelines across the City.

In March 2024, NYC Audubon shared a Drone Light Show Report with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation with recommendations to ensure that future light shows are bird-safe.