Millions of birds die in Canada at this time of year. Here's what you can do
Thousands of birds in Toronto fly into windows and die at this time of year as they journey across the last stretch of their migration, deaths that the city says are completely preventable.
“We're looking at animals that have essentially head trauma,” Dr. Heather Reid, head veterinarian at Toronto Wildlife Centre (TWC), said.
These birds are part of an estimated 25 million that die in Canada each year from flying into windows.
Birds can’t appreciate glass, or reflective surfaces, which appear to project the outdoors, Reid explained. As a result, they strike the surface and in some cases, die.
The seasonal uptick of these deaths is tied to the current migration period, which began earlier this month and stretches till the end of May, according to the City of Toronto. The journey spans thousands of kilometres, from central and South America, to northern breeding grounds.
Already, Reid said TWC has 40 birds in their care, recovering from head trauma related injuries.
“They're being treated for their injuries or any of the broken bones or shock. They'll be put on oxygen therapy if needed. They'll be given the proper medications, anti-inflammatories, we're basically managing their head trauma and their eye injuries and any fractures that they have,” Reid said.
A tiny Brown Creeper recovers in the care of Toronto Wildlife Centre (TWC). Beyond preventing animal suffering, birds play vital roles in our cities, including pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal, making their survival key in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, according to the government of Canada’s prevention guidelines.
Most birds migrate at night, using the stars and the moon to guide their path, which becomes a problem the closer they get to urban centres.
“They end up getting drawn towards the lights of our cities and our buildings and they become so confused, and they get trapped in the corridors of cities, they often become exhausted, and that's why we see so many birds becoming injured,” Reid said.
Once TWC rehabilitates the birds, and they’ve recovered from their injuries, they practice flying in outdoor aviaries before they are released on the far side of the city to avoid navigating the urban maze.
The Toronto Wildlife Centre medical team treats a bird after colliding with a window (TWC). The City of Toronto is encouraging the public to turn off unnecessary lights at night, internally and externally, when possible to reduce migratory bird deaths.
To set an example, last December, Toronto city council decided to turn off unnecessary lights in city buildings during migration season.
TWC suggests covering a window with a pattern, or adding visual markers that can be spread across the entire surface, to make it more visible to birds.
If you come across an injured bird, TWC recommends gently putting a tea towel or cloth over top, placing the bird in a paper bag or small cardboard box and contacting a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Galen Weston pushes back on 'misguided criticism' of Loblaw as boycott begins
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston, as well as the company's new chief executive, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a boycott against the company gains steam online.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.