Biodiversity in the Zoo: Protection of birds against injuries

Assistance to wild birds does not consist merely of installing bird houses and other measures to increase their nesting, but it is also necessary to make modifications to buildings and other man-made structures that can cause injuries or even death to birds. These are, for example, glass surfaces.

Glass and similar materials are becoming more and more popular today and are increasingly common in both built-up areas and open landscape. Glass surfaces, including windows of our houses, faithfully reflect their surroundings, and especially when they reflect greenery or water surface, birds hit them at full speed. However, dangerous is also clear glass – glass panes of soundproof walls, bus stops, balustrades of balconies, greenhouses, etc. After hitting the glass, birds suffer injuries such as internal bleeding or concussion and almost half of them die immediately. Glass surfaces as small as 1m2 can be dangerous.

Zoo Ostrava has secured the first glass surfaces in the animal ranges against the impact of birds using ropes suspended vertically at regular intervals. For example, they can be found in outdoor chimpanzee and Diana monkey ranges by Evolution Pavilion, as well as by the clouded leopard range, and more will follow.

The widely used silhouettes of birds of prey are not effective against collisions. In order for the silhouettes to make the transparent areas visible to birds, they must be placed very near to each other (max. 10 cm apart). One or a few bird silhouette stickers on a large pane do not work. Ideally, birds should be considered during building design when glass surfaces can be secured in advance by printing, tinting or sandblasting. Additional suitable security measures include blinds, pergolas, curtains, etc. A good solution is to densely apply UV stickers that are almost imperceptible to the human eye, but most birds see them well.

For more information about this issue, click here.

http://www.zoo-ostrava.cz/cz/zoo/novinky/1742-biodiverzita-v-zoo-ochrana-ptaku-proti-urazum/