Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

New York to switch off 'non-essential' lights at night in effort help migrating birds across state and curb death by 'fatal light attraction'

Landmarks such as the Chrysler Building, the Rockafeller Center and Time Warner Center have also joined up to the programme

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
Tuesday 28 April 2015 12:02 BST
Comments
New York will switch off its non-essential lights across state-run buildings to help the birds
New York will switch off its non-essential lights across state-run buildings to help the birds (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The state of New York will begin switching off non-essential outdoor lights on state-run buildings at night in an effort to help migrating birds.

The state is adopting the Audubon Society’s Lights Out programme, joining the owners of a number of New York City’s landmark building owners, including the Chrysler Building, the Rockafeller Center and the Time Warner Center, by switching off the lights between 11pm and dawn.

New York is along the Atlantic Flyway, one of four major migration routes, and the birds rely on constellations to help them navigate these paths to and from summer breeding grounds.

But excessive outdoor lighting often disorientates the animals, confuses their paths and often leads to death.

Up to a billion birds in the US die each year from this phenomenon, known as “fatal light attraction,” which is exacerbated by bad weather. The birds often die by colliding directly with windows, walls, floodlights or the ground.

“This is a simple step to help protect these migrating birds that make their home in New York’s forests, lakes and rivers,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

New York’s state-run buildings are joining the Lights Out Programme during the peak bird migration season, which ends on 31 May, and will resume again between 15 August and 15 November.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in