Help us create bird-friendly communities to create
safe passage for birds during migration.
Every year, billions of birds migrate north in the spring and south in the fall. The majority of the birds fly at night, navigating using the Moon, stars and night sky. As they pass over big cities, they can become disoriented by bright artificial lights and sky glow. An estimated 600 million birds in the U.S. die each year from collisions with buildings. A study published by Cornell Lab of Ornithology ranked metropolitan areas in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois where, due to a combination of light pollution and geography, birds are at the greatest risk of becoming attracted to and disoriented by lights and crash into buildings.
Learn about our growing list of organizations working together to help birds migrate
safely, see results of work, and learn how you can become involved.
See our progress toward collaboratiing with organizations in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Check our progress as expand our effort to turn out lights during peak migration times.
Whether you are an organization, government entity, or an interested citizen, there are many ways to get involved to make a difference.
Lights Out Heartland encourages the use of responsible outdoor lighting throughout the year but especially in May and September when bird migration is particularly intense.
Turn off outdoor lights if they are not useful. If lights are necessary, refer to the "Five Principles for Responsible Outdoor Lighting" for guidance on how to minimize lighting during bird migration periods.
Turn lights out during bird migration to help birds travel safe.
LEARN MORE: Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants. Learn more at DarkSkyMissouri.org or DarkSky.org.