There are some simple tasks that we can do as individuals to strengthen bird conservation. Small changes can make big impacts, so here are seven ways to help support the birds.
- Make windows safer by installing screens or breaking up the reflection by using film coatings or paint.
- Keep cats indoors. Cats are estimated to kill more than 2.6 billion birds annually in the U.S. and Canada.
- Reduce lawns and plant native species instead. There is huge potential to support wildlife by replacing lawns with native plantings.
- Don’t use pesticides. North America’s most widely used insecticides, called neonicotinoids or “neonics”, are lethal to birds and to the insects that birds consume.
- Drink shade-grown coffee. Three-quarters of the world’s coffee farms grow their plants in the sun, destroying forests that birds and other wildlife need for food and shelter. Shade-grown coffee preserves a forest canopy that helps migrator birds survive the winter.
- Reduce your use of plastics. Plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade, and 91 percent of plastic created is not recycled. Studies show that at least 80 seabird species ingest plastic, mistaking it for food.
- Watch birds and share what you see. You can enjoy birds while helping science and conservation by joining a bird club or taking part in a bird survey.
