New York City Council Passes Glass Law For The Birds

NEW YORK CITY — This law is for the birds. A bill passed Tuesday mandates New York City buildings have bird-friendly glass to cut down on hundreds of thousands of winged deaths.

City Council voted for a bill lawmakers say could prevent the deaths of up to 230,000 hawks, hummingbirds and other birds killed each year from flying into transparent New York City windows.

“It’s a huge leap forward for long-term conservation,” said NYC Audubon Executive Director Kathryn Heintz. “It will reduce collisions and save migratory birds whose numbers are declining dramatically.”

The legislation, proposed by City Council member Rafael Espinal, requires 90 percent of exterior glass on the first 75 feet of new buildings have patterns or glazing to make it visible to birds.

Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to sign the law.

While bird advocates from the New York City Audobon and lawmakers champion the bill, the Real Estate Board of New York initially expressed concerns about which building materials would meet requirements, but told Time those issues had been addressed.

“We thank the Council for addressing a number of concerns we had with the original version, said REBNY representative Basha Gerhards,“and support a science-based approach to reducing bird deaths."