With more than $5.5 billion generated annually in Texas from birdwatching and bird tourism, Austin leaders and community stakeholders want to ensure the safety of the roughly 400 species that reside in or migrate through Travis County each spring and fall.

As such, Watershed Protection staff have developed a set of recommended code amendments and policy updates that they’re rolling out to boards and commissions before sending the proposed changes to City Council, as directed in a resolution Council passed in late 2024.

Bird-friendly designs can include limiting the use of glass, adding solar shading or screens, applying ultraviolet coatings, using glazed or etched patterns or incorporating bird-friendly markers directly on the glass.

The Austin Environmental Commission got its first look at staff’s proposal last week and unanimously endorsed the work. The commission initiated the bird-friendly design effort last year with the formation of a working group that included commissioners, conservationists, developers and architects. 

“Birds are a very important part of keeping our environment healthy,” said Craig Nazor of the Sierra Club’s Lone Star chapter, noting their role in controlling insect populations and enhancing the soil with nutrient-rich droppings. Nazor served on the working group with chair Jennifer Bristol, who has led the commission’s work on birds. 

Under staff recommendations, new commercial and multifamily buildings larger than 10,000 square feet would be required to meet bird-safe design standards for the first 100 feet of façade, measured by a “material threat factor” rating of 20 or less. The American Bird Conservancy recommends a rating of 30 or less, but Watershed Protection staff are proposing the stricter 20 rating due to the rising threat that windows pose to hummingbird populations and their vital role as pollinators.

Additionally, staff recommends implementing dark-sky lighting compliance standards to include shielded light fixtures, exterior and interior lighting on timers for after midnight and during peak migration, and directional lighting requirements to reduce light pollution that can cause birds to become disoriented. 

“Dell Children’s Hospital has dark-sky lighting on their campus and what other building could you possibly want to be safer,” said Watershed Protection’s Leslie Lillly, referring to the pangs one can feel after witnessing a deadly bird collision. The hospital’s “dark-sky lighting is not super bright, and it is very easy to see and navigate around their campus.” 

Other dark-sky advantages include conservation impacts, the bio-diversity benefits, and the community-engagement that happens around having bird-friendly design incorporated into the buildings, Lilly said.

Currently, several planned unit developments approved by Council have bird-safe design elements incorporated into the ordinance to bolster the development’s environmental superiority.

Cities across the nation have already implanted bird-safe design standards, with New York City requiring 90 percent of the first 75 feet of a new building’s envelope to use bird-friendly materials. In Arlington County, Virginia, bird-friendly design standards are tied to voluntary density bonus incentives, and noncompliant projects pay into the jurisdiction’s green building fund. 

For single-family homes, Watershed Protection recommends an outreach campaign to encourage bird-safe practices. Commissioners agreed the effort could be an easy sell, since retrofitting glass or adding bug or solar screens, exterior shades, or awnings not only reduces bird collisions but also offers energy savings. Moreover, placing landscaping away from buildings further minimizes glass reflections while adding protection from wildfires.

“This feels like a real triumph,” Vice Chair Mariana Krueger said of the progress being made on the bird-safe design effort. “When there’s so much bad news happening every day, this just feels like a little bit of good that I think could mark a real turning point for our city.”