Protecting Local Birds Returns to Flight at Climate Week 2026
Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene will return for Climate Week 2026. This event raises awareness of bird-window collisions, one of the leading human-caused sources of bird mortality in the United States, and honors affected birds through the creation of replicas representing commonly impacted species.
Kate La Spina, Program Manager of Penn Climate and organizer of the returning event, is excited to bring back an interactive art workshop and discussion on Locust Walk during Climate Week. “Last year the Penn community created fabric birds as part of a larger public art initiative started by artist Holly Greenberg at Syracuse University.” In keeping with the 2026 theme of ‘Empowerment and Action,’ participation in the art installation emphasizes how small actions can have lifesaving impacts in our environment.
Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene is an especially important topic for the Penn community. La Spina explains that Penn’s campus is “located in Philadelphia, a major stopover along the Atlantic Flyway, one of North America’s primary bird migration routes,” where “millions of birds pass through our region, and many die after colliding with glass windows - up to one billion birds die each year in North America alone due to bird-window collisions.” While these bird-window collisions are incredibly sad, La Spina emphasizes that “they are also highly preventable.” She hopes that through this event, Penn Climate can “raise awareness about the issue and empower members of the Penn community with simple, effective ways they can help protect migrating birds.”
La Spina shared several practical actions students and community members can take to help. She explained, “Two of the most effective actions people can take are treating windows with bird-safe collision deterrents, such as patterned window film or decals, and turning off unnecessary lights during peak migration periods. A great resource is BirdCast, which forecasts when large numbers of birds will be migrating. Artificial light can disorient migrating birds, while untreated glass appears invisible to them, making window collisions much more likely. These are simple changes that can have a significant impact.” Her recommendations reflect this year’s Climate Week focus on turning awareness into tangible action.
Through Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene this year, La Spina hopes that “attendees leave knowing that they have the power to make a real difference for birds.” Although “North America has lost more than 3 billion birds since 1970, and bird-window collisions remain one of the leading human-caused threats they face,” she reinforces that the problem is “largely preventable.”
“Whether it's turning off lights during migration, advocating for bird-friendly buildings, or treating windows at home, individual actions add up,” La Spina said. With less than two months until Climate Week, the returning event offers members of the Penn community an opportunity to see firsthand how “small changes can have a meaningful impact on wildlife conservation.”