Birds sometimes attack windows and especially tinted glass, by pecking or striking them. This is usually because they can see their own reflection, and think it is a challenger for their territory.
Birds such as the Laughing Kookaburra, Little Raven, Grey Butcherbird and the Australian Magpie-lark have been seen to do this.
Birds may dive at a window because they can see another window through the glass and think that there is a clear flight path to travel through.
It can be quite distressing when birds hit against your windows. They can injure or stun themselves and leave themselves vulnerable to predators and can even damage fly screens or windows.
But there is a lot you can do to stop birds from attacking your windows, so that you can live happily side by side.
The noise that birds make against your windows can be very upsetting. They have the ability to hurt or stun themselves, expose themselves to predators, and even break windows or fly screens.
Because they can see another window through the glass and believe there is a clear flight path to follow, birds may dive at windows.
Sometimes birds will peck or hit windows, especially ones with tinted glass. Usually, this is because they perceive their reflection as a rival for their territory because they can see it.
This behavior has been observed in a number of birds, including the Australian Magpie-lark, Little Raven, Grey Butcherbird, and Laughing Kookaburra.
However, there are several things you can do to prevent birds from pecking at your windows, allowing you to coexist peacefully.
Block ‘through-house’ line of sight to the outdoors
A bird may interpret this as a flight path and believe it is a clear space to fly through if any windows in your home are oriented so that, from the outside, there is a clear view through the house and to another window looking to the outside? This can be altered easily by drawing the blinds closed, covering one window, shutting a door, or removing any other obstruction that blocks the open view.
Cover the glass to make it opaque and reduce reflection
To eliminate any reflection, try covering the exterior of the glass with a physical barrier like shade cloth or opaque screens. Please make sure that any netting is white and of an appropriate gauge so that birds can see it clearly and won’t get tangled in it. A shade cloth is a plastic mesh that is transparent and prevents reflections in the windows; it can be purchased at hardware stores.
Install anti-glare/anti-reflection screens/film over the windows or try outdoor blinds. If birds are perching on your car’s windscreen wipers, cover the affected areas with a sheet or blanket and try parking somewhere else where the birds can’t get to you.
A window display of ornaments, crystals, mobiles, paper, ribbon, and other items will let birds know they are unable to fly through. Avoid hanging plants in front of windows in places where there is a lot of bird activity, as this may confuse any birds that may be flying toward the plant in search of cover. Try to cover as much of the window or glass as possible when doing so (aim for spaces no larger than 10cm across)
Other options include applying a decorative pattern or decorative non-reflective objects that cover the entire window or as much of it as possible, as well as “frosting” or “etching” the glass.
Close curtains to create an opaque appearance. To get a striping effect, turn the blinds ¾ of the way up (be sure to check that reflections are sufficiently reduced).