Birds on the move: Fort Worth joins efforts to protect migratory birds

Published on April 17, 2023

The spring bird migration is underway and organizations across Texas are turning their lights out at night as hundreds of millions of birds migrate through the state.

Last fall, many downtown Fort Worth high-rise buildings joined the mission to help save the lives of migrating birds. This season, the City of Fort Worth is joining other cities across DFW in a regional effort to reduce light pollution.

Why it matters: The unified goal is to protect birds as they migrate across the United States – one of the largest migrations on the planet and one that occurs primarily at night. Light from buildings, especially in urban areas, can confuse and disorient migrating birds, making them vulnerable to collisions with buildings.

How you can help: All Texans are encouraged to turn off nonessential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during the full spring migration, March 1-June 15.

According to the Texas Conservation Alliance, as many as 1 billion birds die from collisions with buildings every year in the U.S. Because of light pollution, the DFW metroplex is the third most dangerous area in the United States for migratory birds to travel through.

What they’re saying: “This is a great educational opportunity for our entire community to take one proactive step to protect these migrating bird populations.” said Cody Whittenburg, assistant director of the Fort Worth Code Compliance Department. “Turning the lights out in other populated areas of the city, such as shopping centers and outdoor sports venues, will also make a huge contribution.”

Whittenburg said it’s not necessary to be downtown to take part – reduce light pollution at night for a few hours, where possible, to support this growing effort.

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