“My mother and I were sitting in the living room, enjoying some time together, when this bird – black, with big red patches on his wings – flew right at our window,” Wanda, a Marshfield homeowner, said. “It was like he was attacking it. Two or three times he did this, and then CRACK! The window broke! He flew away. And there I was with all of this broken glass.”
Why do birds fly into windows?
As a Marshfield glass replacement company, we’re not exactly experts on bird behavior. But actual bird scientists (ornithologists) have several theories why birds fly into windows.
The first one has to do with birds seeing reflections in the window. They don’t see glass in front of them, they just see some more sky, or the trees in the yard, or whatever other natural scene is reflected there. And then the birds react to what they see. If it’s more sky, they just keep flying. If they see themselves – as was the case with Wanda’s red-winged blackbird – they think it’s another bird. It’s mating season for a lot of birds, so aggressive males are defending territory all over the place.
Sometimes birds fly into windows at night. In these situations, scientists think it is because the birds are drawn toward the lights inside the home. Birds are strongly guided by instinct, and light environments are safer for them than dark ones.
Finally, there’s the general theory that birds do not understand how windows work. They do not perceive the glass as a hard barrier that prevents them from moving forward.
Glass Replacement – When A Bird Breaks Your Window
Not all bird strikes result in window damage, but some do. In instances where the glass is broken, talk to your local window and door company about window glass replacement. This is the most cost-effective way to fix your window – no need to replace a costly frame or sill.
