Bipartisan Group of Congressmen Introduce Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) introduced the Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act, a bipartisan, cost-neutral bill that would save birds from needless deaths and injuries when they collide with federal buildings. Up to one billion birds in the U.S. are killed each year when they collide with buildings.

“Passing this law is a no-brainer. It’s a sensible, simple solution that could help millions of birds avoid grisly deaths by collision,” says Mike Daulton, Vice-President of Government Relations for the Audubon Society. “Birds face threats on many fronts and incorporating bird-safe design into federal buildings is the least we could do to help them. We’d like to thank Congressman Quigley and the other co-sponsors of this bill.”

The National Audubon Society works with state governments to guide the implementation of bird-safe building code. Last month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his state’s participation in the Lights Out Initiative, an effort spearheaded by Audubon New York to turn off unessential outdoor lighting during peak bird migration seasons. In the Twin Cities, Project BirdSafe is a joint effort between Audubon Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to reduce the number of birds killed or injured by building collisions.

The National Audubon Society saves birds and their habitats throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more at www.audubon.org and @audubonsociety.

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Contact: Nicolas Gonzalez, ngonzalez@audubon.org, (212) 979-3068