Lincoln Park Zoo Announces Slate of Educational and Advocacy Initiatives to Protect Birds Migrating Through Chicago

CHICAGO (September 28, 2026) – Every fall and spring, over 8 million individual birds representing more than 250 species fly through Chicago on their seasonal migration path. Unfortunately, with each migration season comes thousands of unnecessary deaths as birds collide with hard-to-see buildings across the city. This fall migration season, Lincoln Park Zoo is speaking up for the birds with a suite of initiatives meant to educate Chicagoans on the role they can play in protecting migrating birds and garnering support for a new bird-friendly building ordinance currently proposed to the Chicago City Council.

BUILDING WITH BIRDS IN MIND

Lincoln Park Zoo is proud to be a key supporter of a proposed municipal code amendment that would formally establish requirements for bird-friendly building design. If this amendment is passed, it would see Chicago join cities like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Toronto in making it a legal requirement for certain new builds and renovations to adhere to strict standards protecting birds in flight.

This Chicago amendment would ensure that all glass and other transparent or reflective surfaces included on applicable building projects is designed, treated, constructed, or installed to deter bird collisions based on criteria established by the American Bird Conservancy. Lincoln Park Zoo joins advocacy groups like the Chicago Bird Alliance and ordinance sponsors Alders Maria Hadden, Brian Hopkins, and Ruth Cruz in advocating for the importance of this amendment.

“Just as we care for the animals on our grounds, Lincoln Park Zoo is fiercely committed to the safety and protection of all animals that call Chicago home—even if they’re just passing through,” said Alyssa Berman-Cutler, Senior Director of Government Affairs at Lincoln Park Zoo. “Through our Urban Wildlife Institute, we’re acutely aware of how dangerous certain building materials can be for migrating birds and this building ordinance amendment would be a huge step forward in making Chicago a more bird-friendly city.”

Lincoln Park Zoo has a years-long track record advocating for Chicago to be a better place for humans and wildlife to coexist. In 2022, the zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute partnered with the City of Chicago and Chicago Animal Care and Control to develop the Chicago Wildlife Management & Coexistence Plan. This establishes an innovative, humane, and science-based wildlife management plan to enable human and wildlife coexistence across the city’s diverse urban spaces. The Urban Wildlife Institute also provided feedback on bird-friendly design during construction of the newly opened Obama Presidential Center. Additionally, UWI has monitored wildlife activity throughout the Jackson Park structure’s construction and opening to observe the impact on the surrounding environment and animal populations.

ENCOURAGING CHICAGOANS TO HELP DURING MIGRATION SEASON

While the statistics around bird strikes can seem daunting, there are tangible actions Chicagoans can take to help make migration season less dangerous. Lincoln Park Zoo has published a collection of materials to help educate the public on how they can live more bird-friendly.

Some tips include marking large panes of glass to make them more visible to birds, turning off lights in empty rooms, closing blinds, and moving houseplants away from windows. All these efforts can help birds travel safely during this busy time for them.

To make these efforts more fun, Lincoln Park Zoo has published an online guide to helping birds during migration season, as well as illustrations that Chicagoans can print and cut out at home to decorate their windows and make them more visible to birds. The zoo invites people to get in on the fun by sharing a photo of their decorated windows on socials and tagging @LincolnParkZoo!

A DAY OF BIRD-FRIENDLY LEARNING AT LINCOLN PARK ZOO

As migration season reaches its peak this month, Lincoln Park Zoo will host a day of on-grounds activities and learning opportunities for guests looking to live more bird-friendly. On Friday, October 2, zoo visitors can participate in a variety of activities including crafting window decals and writing their alderperson about the bird-friendly municipal code amendment. Lincoln Park Zoo and the Chicago Bird Alliance will also be sharing more information about the new building ordinance the alliance is advocating for in partnership with the zoo.

About Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo inspires communities to create environments where wildlife will thrive in our urbanizing world. The zoo is a leader in local and global conservation, animal care and welfare, learning, and science. A historic Chicago landmark founded in 1868, the not-for-profit Lincoln Park Zoo is a privately-managed, member-supported organization and is free and open 365 days a year. Visit us at lpzoo.org.