Cats
FACT: Cats are the number one killer of birds in Canada.1
We are often asked about how to keep birds safe from cats. We rely on partner expertise to address this issue.
PARTNER EXPERTISE: CatsAndBirds.ca
Keep Cats Safe and Save Bird Lives is led by Nature Canada. It is the oldest national nature conservation charity in the country, and works with national, founding, regional and local partners across the country, including FLAP Canada, to save bird lives and keep cats safe.
1 Environment Canada study. Click to read the full paper, published in Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2013.
Wind Turbines
FACT: Evidence from studies shows that wind farms are a minor, yet growing, source of bird mortality relative to other human impacts and other electricity sources. Bird collisions with wind turbines kill roughly 45,000 bird annually in Canada.1 Bats fare this fate far worse.2
We are often asked about how to keep birds safe from wind turbines. We rely on partner expertise to address this issue.
PARTNER EXPERTISE: Wind Energy Bird & Bat Monitoring
The Wind Energy Bird & Bat Monitoring Database is a joint initiative of the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANWEA), Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS, Environment Canada), Bird Studies Canada (BSC) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR).
1 In 2014, according to CANWEA, Canada had approximately 5,500 wind turbines; adjusting estimates from Environment Canada study. Click to read the full paper, published in Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2013.
2 Bird Studies Canada released a summary of bird and bat kills.
Telecommunication Towers
FACT: With over 220,000 bird deaths due to telecommunication towers, it is a top ten killer of birds in Canada.1 Aviation warning lights on the towers disrupt the birds’ celestial navigation and draw them into the light. The birds then become entrapped and circle endlessly, colliding with each other and the tower, or eventually dropping to the ground from exhaustion.
We are often asked about how to keep birds safe from telecommunication towers. We rely on partner expertise to address this issue.
PARTNER EXPERTISE: American Bird Conservancy
New guidelines put in place in 2016 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for communication tower lights spell out how tower operators can save birds and energy without sacrificing safety. By extinguishing the non-flashing lights on towers, night-time bird fatality rates can decline by as much as 70 percent, according to American Bird Conservancy (ABC). American Bird Conservancy is dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership with organizations like FLAP Canada, ABC takes on solutions to problems facing birds today.
1Environment Canada study. Click to read the full paper, published in Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2013.
Bird-Friendly Backyards
FACT: Small habitats, like your backyard, can make a big difference for migrating birds. Food, water and shelter (in the form of regional native plants), earth-friendly gardening practices and bird-safe windows can provide sanctuary to birds during nesting and migration.
We are often asked about how to design and maintain bird-friendly backyards. We rely on partner expertise to address this topic.
PARTNER EXPERTISE: Canadian Wildlife Federation
In 2017, Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) launched a Backyard Habitat Certification Program. CWF conducts its activities through a cooperative approach – working with people, corporations, governments and non-government organizations like FLAP Canada, to inspire collaboration in achieving wildlife conservation.
The City of Vancouver’s Bird Strategy includes protecting and maintaining existing bird habitat and making available bird-friendly landscape design guidelines for interested landowners and developers.
Shade-Grown Coffee
FACT: Bird Friendly® is a certification created by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (SMBC), which is part of the National Zoo based in Washington, D.C. Bird Friendly standards are the strictest of the third-party environmental standards. Certified coffees carry this seal.
We are often asked what shade-grown coffee is and where to buy it. We rely on partner expertise to address this topic.
PARTNER EXPERTISE: Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center has developed the only 100% organic and shade-grown coffee certification: Bird Friendly.
