Cats and Birds | Bird Feeding
Where to put your station
- Place bird feeders within 1 m of windows to reduce collisions with windows
- Provide natural cover in your backyard for birds to hide from predators
- Keep unobstructed view around feeders so that birds can detect predators
Prevent collisions with windows
Treat your windows with effective bird window collision deterrents. These can be homemade and inexpensive.
- Scientific research indicates that keeping feeders within 1 m of windows will help to reduce collisions.
- Birds often collide with windows when they are surprised by a predator or approaching human and make a panic flight away from feeders. At a 1m distance, they do not gather enough momentum to seriously injure themselves.
- Fatal collisions increase with increasing distance from windows. Recommendations that indicate a “safe distance” beyond 1 m are not based on scientific evidence.
- Learn more on BirdSafe and American Bird Conservancy websites.
To learn more about ways you can help birds, visit our Cats and Birds – Helping Birds page.
