The glass curtain wall is actually an invisible killer of birds! Guangxi is taking action to prevent bird collisions

Southern Morning Post All Media Reporter: Yan Fenli, Li YiRecently, Tencent's headquarters in Shenzhen, Binhai Building, underwent a "film coating" renovation of the glass curtain wall to prevent bird strikes, which has attracted the attention of netizens. Southern Morning Post's full media reporter learned that in Guangxi, bird collisions with glass curtain walls also occur from time to time

Southern Morning Post All Media Reporter: Yan Fenli, Li Yi

Recently, Tencent's headquarters in Shenzhen, Binhai Building, underwent a "film coating" renovation of the glass curtain wall to prevent bird strikes, which has attracted the attention of netizens. Southern Morning Post's full media reporter learned that in Guangxi, bird collisions with glass curtain walls also occur from time to time. At present, winter migratory birds are arriving in Guangxi one after another. In order to protect these little elves, some bird lovers have not only joined the ranks of bird collision prevention volunteers, but also set up bird collision prevention experimental points in Xincheng Letan National Wetland Park to explore feasible methods to avoid bird collisions with walls. At present, the overall planning of land and space at all levels in Guangxi emphasizes the protection of migratory bird habitats and migration corridors, creating an "urban paradise" for birds.

Many birds have died when they hit the wall

Xiao Xiaobo is a bird lover. Three years ago, she became a volunteer for bird collision prevention observation. In 2022, she began observing bird collisions with obstacles for a long time at Laibin Xincheng Letan National Wetland Park and conducting bird collision prevention experiments. She introduced that due to the abundance of birds in the wetland park and the installation of large areas of daylighting glass in the buildings, birds often collide with walls near the glass. "Starting from the fixed point record, every month, birds collide with the glass curtain wall and die

The birds observed by Xiao Xiaobo include both ordinary birds and wild animals under national secondary protection, such as the brown winged crow and cuckoo. In order to make everyone remember the cute appearance of these birds during their lifetime, she and her team also sent some of the birds that were killed in the collision to the Biological Specimen Museum of the Institute of Biology, Guangxi Academy of Sciences, and made them into specimens to restore their state before the collision, in order to popularize relevant knowledge to the public.

The bird that was killed was made into a specimen.

Mr. Huang, a bird lover, said that he once encountered a magpie under a building in Liuzhou and fainted after hitting a glass. Fortunately, this magpie was promptly rescued and rested for two hours before flying back into the blue sky.

A magpie bird in Liuzhou was rescued after hitting a glass.

Industry insiders have introduced that many high-rise buildings in Guangxi have installed glass curtain walls, but there are few measures to prevent bird strikes. Dr. Jiang Aiwu, a professor and bird expert at Guangxi University, said that at Guangxi University, more than ten birds are rescued every year due to hitting glass curtain walls.

The phenomenon of bird collisions is seasonal

Zhu Lei said that due to their physiological structure, birds cannot see glass. High rise buildings that use glass curtain walls on a large scale, as well as nighttime light, are all factors that can cause bird collisions. "If the glass of a high rise building is transparent, birds will feel that they can pass through; if the glass reflects other scenery, birds will feel that they can rest here. In addition, birds can fly quickly, and once they collide with the glass, tragedy will occur.

A bird hitting the glass. Courtesy of Xiao Xiaobo

All parties in Guangxi are taking action

Xiao Xiaobo revealed that in order to prevent bird collisions, everyone is still exploring effective and cost-effective bird protection methods. In November 2022, she and her team selected a section of glass guardrail at Letan National Wetland Park to apply frosted glass film, and the effect was immediate: until now, the bird collision record is zero. She suggests that urban residents can also use water-soluble colored pens to draw on windows, which can effectively prevent bird collisions.

Bird collision prevention is not just the action of folk bird lovers. Sha Ou, Deputy Director of the Planning Institute of the Land and Space Planning Institute of Hualan Design (Group) Co., Ltd., introduced that in the comprehensive planning of land and space at all levels in Guangxi, the protection requirements for migratory bird habitats and migration corridors have been emphasized. For example, Nanning requires strict protection of Dawangtan National Wetland Park and Long'an Dingheng Reservoir Egret Nature Reserve. Due to its proximity to the Guangxi Shankou Mangrove National Nature Reserve, the Beihai Tieshan Donggang Industrial Park in the Longgang New Area of the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone has made corresponding plans in terms of urban lighting, building facades, and other aspects to address the living habits of birds. This includes proposing measures such as limiting the use of glass curtain walls in high-rise buildings and using bright warning colors to avoid bird collisions.

Guangxi is also exploring the construction of urban park green space systems to protect urban biodiversity. For example, Nanning actively carries out the construction of a "park city", providing habitats for birds by constructing patch green spaces and patch parks within the city.

Related link: Shenzhen clearly wants to reduce bird collisions

Shenzhen has made many innovative explorations in the protection of mangrove birds. The "Shenzhen Building Design Rules" clearly stipulate that glass curtain walls should be used with caution in high-rise buildings around mangrove and bird protection areas. The Futian Free Trade Zone is adjacent to Shenzhen Mangrove Nature Reserve to the west and Hong Kong Maipu Mangrove Nature Reserve to the southwest. Considering the protection of birds, it is stipulated that within a radius of 500 meters from the Mangrove Nature Reserve, the height of buildings should be controlled within 50 meters.

Shenzhen has also released the "Shenzhen Biodiversity Protection Action Plan (2020 2025)", which states that: with Shenzhen Bay as the key area, we will conduct an assessment of the impact of urban high-rise buildings on migratory birds, explore research on bird friendly building design and renovation guidelines, and reduce the occurrence of ecological accidents such as bird collisions (organized by Li Yiyan Fenli)

This article is originally produced by Nanguo Zaobao. Please do not reprint it through any channels or platforms without permission. Violators will be punished.

Editor: Zhong Liangliang Bingxin

Checked by: Mai Xueli

Editor in Chief: Yang Bo

Reviewed by: Hu Zhiwei

Disclaimer: The content of this article is sourced from the internet. The copyright of the text, images, and other materials belongs to the original author. The platform reprints the materials for the purpose of conveying more information. The content of the article is for reference and learning only, and should not be used for commercial purposes. If it infringes on your legitimate rights and interests, please contact us promptly and we will handle it as soon as possible! We respect copyright and are committed to protecting it. Thank you for sharing.(Email:[email protected])