Bird collisions at McCormick Place drop 95% since last summer
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The new film applied to windows at McCormick Place. Photo: Courtesy of MPEA/McCormick Place
Bird collisions with windows at McCormick Place dropped by 95% since last summer. How's that for some good news?
Why it matters: A United Nations report released last year outlined how design and human behavior have put several species at risk of extinction, including migratory birds.
- Chicago is listed as one of the most dangerous cities for these birds, according to a Cornell study.
How it works: Migratory birds are attracted to lights in buildings, which often leads to deadly collisions.
- The convention center on Lake Michigan, just south of the Museum Campus, spent $1.2 million to install a dotted film on 120,000 square feet of glass, alerting birds they are approaching glass.
Flashback: In 2023, bird lovers were horrified to learn that more than 950 birds died in one night after striking McCormick Place.
- A scientist at the Field Museum who had been collecting bird carcasses for decades told CBS at the time it was the worst collision he'd seen.
By the numbers: Since 1978, the Field Museum has collected more than 40,000 dead birds at McCormick Place.
- That's about 850-900 a year and 0-15 collisions a night on average.
State of play: The total of casualties for McCormick Place during the most recent fall migration was 45, but only 18 of those were at the newly treated windows.
- In 2022, there were 771 casualties and 1,280 casualties in 2023 at those same windows, the Field told Axios.