Flaco, the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, sits in a tree in Central Park. Photo: @Rhododendrites
New York City Audubon supports the FLACO Act (“Feathered Lives Also Count” Act) , which honors the impact Flaco, a non-native Eurasian Eagle-Owl who escaped the Central Park Zoo in 2023, had on New York City. This law will require any new or significantly altered state buildings to incorporate bird-friendly designs, particularly in their windows.
Birds do not detect clear glass as a barrier, nor do they understand reflections in glass. When they see habitat or sky either reflected in glass, or through it, such as in a courtyard, the birds collide at full speed. This poses a particular threat to over 100 species of migratory birds, some of which are experiencing long-term population declines. Nearly a quarter million birds in New York City, and more than one billion across the country, die each year from collisions with buildings. This number can be significantly reduced if buildings utilize bird-safe practices.
Introduced in the NY State Senate by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (District 47) and the NY State Assembly by State Assemblymember Dr. Anna R. Kelles (District 125), the FLACO Act would amend the public buildings law to incorporate the use of bird-safe features, practices, and strategies to reduce bird fatality resulting from collisions with state-owned or state-leased buildings. The FLACO Act needs your support.
We are thankful that the FLACO Act has been co-sponsored thus in the NY State Assembly by NY State Assemblymembers: Levenberg (District 95) and Ardila (District 37). And, in the NY State Senate by NY State Senators: Kruger (District 28) and Salazar (District 18).
TAKE ACTION FOR THE FLACO ACT
The FLACO Act already has great momentum and could use your help! Here is what you can do to help get this bill over the finish line and help save the lives of wild birds:
NYC Audubon Project Safe Flight volunteer holds a stunned Ovenbird who had collided with a building. Photo: Winston Qin
CALL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
Please call your New York State Senator and Assemblymember and urge them to sign on to the FLACO Act [AB 7808-A (KELLES) / SB 7098-A (HOYLMAN)] as co-sponsor (or thank them if they already have). You can use the following links if you're unsure of who your New York State Senator and Assemblymember are. If you need some ideas about what to say, here is a script you can use to navigate your call:
“Hello, [ELECTED OFFICIAL's NAME]! My name is [YOUR NAME], and I strongly support the FLACO Act, the Bird Safe Buildings Bill. I would like your support by co-sponsoring it and helping it pass. Nearly a quarter million birds in New York City, and more than one billion across the country, die each year from collisions with buildings. This number can be significantly reduced if buildings utilize bird-safe practices.
[INSERT PERSONAL MESSAGE IF YOU HAVE ONE]
Please help us pass this bill, [ELECTED OFFICIAL’S NAME]. We are counting on your support.”
Past Bird-Friendly Building Wins
In December 2019, NYC Audubon achieved a major victory for the City's birds with the passage of the bird-friendly materials bill (Initiative 1482-2019). Enacted as Local Law 15 in 2020, this measure is the most comprehensive bird-friendly building legislation in the U.S., requiring that all new construction and significant renovations built in New York City beginning in January 2021 use bird-friendly materials.
WHY IS THE BIRD-FRIENDLY MATERIALS BILL AN IMPORTANT MEASURE TO HELP PROTECT BIRDS?
Up to one billion birds die from collisions with buildings each year. In New York City alone, we estimate up to a quarter million birds perish each year after colliding with buildings in the City.
The biggest reason why birds collide with buildings? The glass used by buildings. Birds crash into glass because they can't see it as a barrier and don't understand reflections. When they see habitat or sky either reflected in glass, or through it, such as in a courtyard, the birds collide at full speed. Many die on impact.
This is a big problem in cities like New York with lots of buildings and glass, contributing to the decline in bird populations we are seeing across North America. Glass is the second-largest direct cause of bird mortality in the U.S. (second only to free-roaming domestic cats).
Local Law 15 will help reduce the hundreds of thousands of collisions that occur in NYC each year, and we hope the law serves as an inspiration to building owners to take simple actions to make their already-constructed buildings safe for birds.
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