Thousands of birds that died in collisions with buildings on display at the ROM

TORONTO – The bodies of about 2,400 birds that died in collisions with buildings while trying to navigate through Toronto’s skyline were on display at the Royal Ontario Museum today.

The exhibit is part of an annual public awareness campaign launched by the Fatal Light Awareness Program.

It includes 91 species and represents only a small sample of the estimated one million birds that die annually in collisions with Toronto buildings, mostly office towers.

FLAP says that buildings with highly reflective windows are dangerous for birds that see trees and the sky reflected and are fooled into thinking they have a clear path.

The dead birds on display include at-risk species such as Canada warblers, whippoorwills, and chimney swifts.

Last month, an Ontario judge found that the owner of a Toronto office building was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of birds that flew into its highly reflective windows.

However, the judge declared Cadillac Fairview acquitted of the charges because it did due diligence in trying to rectify the problem, including applying film on the windows of its Yonge Corporate Centre.