How do city lights impact migratory birds?
MINNEAPOLIS – Right now, hundreds of bird species are migrating to Minnesota for the warmer months.
But their trip here can be a dangerous one, in part because of light pollution in the Twin Cities.
A 2019 study ranked Minneapolis the sixth most dangerous U.S. city for migratory birds because of light pollution. City lights can throw them off their migratory path, guided by the stars and moon in the night sky.
Dale Gentry is a conservation director with Audubon Minnesota.
"The lights that come out of our buildings trigger something in their brain that draws them in. So they'll fly in toward those buildings or circle around them and in some cases they'll collide with those buildings," Gentry said.
He says hundreds of millions of birds die each year from collisions, confusion and exhaustion.
"That's why we encourage people to turn off those unnecessary lights," Gentry said.
The National Audubon Society started "Lights Out" in 2007, encouraging buildings to participate during the two months of spring and fall migration.
"And just turn off unnecessary lights. You don't have to turn off all of them, we want people to feel safe, but if you have lights that are on for no reason, turn those off and you can make a good impact on migratory birds," he said.
The Wells Fargo Center in downtown Minneapolis was the first to sign on to Lights Out in Minnesota. More than 80 buildings have joined since.
Gentry says there are steps you can take in your own neighborhood to make a difference.
"The skyscrapers get a lot of attention, but even just in our neighborhoods, by turning off unnecessary lights we're decreasing the amount of ambient light that's coming out of our urban and suburban environments," he said.
The spring migration season typically ends at the end of this month.
