Texas is globally important for birds.
- 1 of approximately every 3 birds migrating through the U.S. in spring, and 1 of nearly every 4 bird migrating through the US in the fall, pass through Texas, pass through Texas, meaning approximately two billion birds travel through our state annually.
- Protecting birds in Texas promotes conservation of bird populations across the Americas.
U.S. bird populations are declining rapidly, with 1 out of every 4 birds lost since 1970.
- An estimated one billion U.S. bird deaths occur annually from collisions with buildings and structures, with migratory species at most risk.
- Attraction and disorientation resulting from light pollution concentrate migrant birds in cities.
Birds are essential to our planet’s ecology – and local economies.
- Birds provide ecosystem services, act as benchmarks for environmental health, increase livability, and connect people of all ages and abilities to the natural world.
- Birds also support the Texas economy. In the Rio Grande Valley alone, Texas A&M found that nature tourism – which is dominated by bird watching – contributes $300 million to the economy and supports 4,407 full and part-time jobs annually.
Building owners, businesses, developers, and homeowners can help protect migrating birds
- Turn off all non-essential nighttime lighting on buildings and other structures from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. each night from 19 April to 7 May in spring and September 5th through October 29th – the critical periods for peak migration in each season.
Tim Wallace produced this image of light pollution in Texas. Note that unlike other imagery depicting light pollution, his effort focused on adjusting such data for population, revealing areas that create an outsized amount of light pollution per capita. Of course, this image highlights the brightly illuminated urban areas of Houston and Dallas in eastern Texas.
