Glass buildings and birds are a deadly mix.
Biologist and member of the Greek Ornithological Society, Dimitris Bousbouras, in his new book outlined that glass skyscrapers and other transparent structures are the most common cause of human-related Death among birds in Greece.
Birds don't see glass when they look at a window pane, instead they see the reflection projected on it, which, to them, is a clear flight path.
Bousbouras warned that the number of birds killed by crashing into glass buildings will increase as 'transparent photovoltaic glass' is developed and starts to be more widely used in buildings.
Steps need to be taken to protect birds, such as banning "mirror" glass or extensive transparent glass surfaces without protection measures, such as glass that is externally opaque or has patterns that make it visible to birds and a ban on fully transparent noise barriers.
How to help a bird who has flown into a window
If you find an injured bird, there are several ways to help it survive.
Provided that there are no obvious injuries to its wings or eyes, Bousbouras said the best approach is to place the bird in a dark box in a quiet but not excessively warm place for about 15 minutes, until it calms down and recovers.
At the end of that time, open the box (taking care to do this somewhere outdoors).
If it flies away at the end of that time, it is recovered, otherwise it should be taken to wildlife centre as soon as possible.
*Read More: How Greece‘s second-tallest building will be transformed
