On Wednesday, March 11th, the Jersey City Council unanimously passed a bird-friendly buildings ordinance, which will help make new structures safer for the millions of birds that migrate through, or live within, Jersey City each year. The measure requires new construction to incorporate bird-safe design features to reduce the number of birds that collide with reflective windows throughout the year. Read on for more about bird strikes and a local mitigation effort taking place in Hoboken.
Bird Strikes in Hoboken
Meanwhile, in nearby Hoboken, a teenager has helped solve a long-standing problem at a pavilion in the Northwest Resiliency Park, where migrating birds were colliding with the building’s large glass windows.
“We began noticing birds that had struck our windows and died near the storefront,” said Luca Infantino, owner of Alessio’s, the popular restaurant occupying the pavilion’s space.
“Over time, and depending on the season, it became clear that this wasn’t an isolated issue and there was a recurring and increasing pattern of bird strikes,” Luca said. The restaurant, located in Hoboken’s Northwest Resiliency Park, opened in 2024 and is surrounded by an assortment of native plants, shrubs, and trees intended to promote ecological sustainability.
Image courtesy of Brooke Zelcer. Otys holds a Common Yellowthroat he found after a window strike at Stevens University in Hoboken. Though this and other birds occasionally survive collisions, studies show that many sustain injuries that lead to fatality.…