The Issue
Given the hundreds of millions of birds killed every year due to collisions with glass on buildings, bird window strikes are rapidly becoming a major factor in the decline of bird populations. This is caused by glass on all types of structures—from big city skyscrapers to windows on personal residences.
The reflective and transparent characteristics of glass make windows and facades dangerous for birds. They see the reflection of trees or the sky in a window, or see through the glass to trees and sky on the other side of a window or glass corridor. There is no barrier perceived and they fly into the glass causing instant death or severe head trauma that they eventually die from or because they are injured, fall prey to scavengers.
The Challenge
Glass as a design element has many purposes, including providing a feeling of openness and to bring sunlight into the building. Advances in glass technology make it an ideal building and design material. This along with green building practices that focus on energy efficiency through the use of natural light add up to more and more glass being utilized in architecture, which translates to continued dangerous conditions for birds. 
Architects, builders, and owners are challenged to specify glass that is attractive, provides a feeling of openness and natural light, is maintainable, affordable; energy-efficient, and also that creates “visual noise” alerting birds that a barrier is present.
It’s estimated that more than 100 million birds are killed every year due to collisions with glass surfaces, Bear Glass has come up with solution by coming up with glass that appears normal to humans but is very visible to birds.
We used the principle that birds have the ability to see light in the ultraviolet spectrum, and thus Bear Glass has developed the glass with a patterned UV-reflective coating that makes it visible to birds while remaining transparent to the human eye. Our company has updated our Bird-Friendly Glass to an improved version with a crisscross pattern. When tested it was reported that it reduced the incidents of birds striking the glass by up to 75 percent.
With the understanding that birds are able to see light in the ultraviolet spectrum, Bear Glass has developed our Bird-Friendly Glass. The glass has a patterned, UV reflective coating making it visible to birds while remaining virtually transparent to the human eye. Our glass has been tested in cooperation with the American Bird Conservancy resulting in a significant reduction of bird strikes compared to standard double-glazing.
As a multi-functional glass, our glass is the only clear glass solution to bird collisions, and is available as laminated glass or a double-glazed insulated unit with a low-E or solar control coating, offering energy efficiency and bird strike protection. Our Bird-Friendly Glass offers a unique and innovative bird-friendly glazing solution—maintaining the aesthetic transparency of glass while creating visual markers alerting birds to a barrier. First introduced in Europe in 2006, Bird-Friendly Glass is now available in North America.
For more information on our Bird-Friendly Glass please contact Bear Glass at:
FACTORY/ OFFICE
Address:
Bear Glass Inc.
399 20th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: 718-832-3604
Fax: 718-832-0786
E-mail: bearglass@yahoo.com 
If you are in New Jersey:
Bear Glass New Jersey
359 Essex Road
Tinton Falls New Jersey 07753
P: 732 901 2626
F: 732 901 2266
