Bird protection is a topic of growing international importance – as confirmed by a current study of Data Insights Market. But the regulations for protecting birds are far from being uniform everywhere. What are the differences and trends in bird-friendly glass?

Bird protection dominates the discourse in the glass industry. The shared aim is to minimise bird collisions by making window glass more visible for birds. A current study by Data Insights Market assesses the obstacles and opportunities for the industry and forecasts continuous growth for the market that is expected to grow to an estimated US$ 1,250 million by late 2025. [1]

In the USA alone an estimated 365 million to one billion birds die annually in bird-building collisions. Exact figures are hard to establish because the number of unreported cases is probably much higher.

Differing legislation worldwide

The positive trend in the segment of bird-friendly glass is largely driven by country-specific regulations for protecting birds against glazed façades, which promote the development of new concepts. However, these are not the same the world over.

In Europe there are both supra-regional and national regulations such as the EU Birds Directive or the German Federal Nature Conservation Act.[2] These prohibit the killing and injuring of wild bird species even if this is done indirectly by glass windows, for example.[3] There are no explicit binding, technical specifications for window-specific bird protection but due to the legal framework it is subject to the conception and assessment of construction projects. 

India currently has no national or binding regulations for bird protection in construction. Wild animals are generally protected by the Wildlife Protection Act[4] but without any concrete rules for buildings.

The same applies to China, where the Wildlife Protection Law[5] prescribes species protection but without specific rules for preventing bird collision.

In the USA there is no nation-wide legislation. But there is growing interest in it and local regulations such as the Bird-Friendly Buildings Act[6] provide for bird protection in the construction sector in New York City and San Francisco[7].

The above regulations and a generally increased awareness regarding bird fatalities lead to an increase in bird-friendly window products worldwide.

Design aspects as a trend for bird-friendly windows

Bird-friendly glass is not only becoming more effective, but its design is also gaining in importance. Popular are discreet solutions or those even invisible for humans.

There are special glass coatings and glass films that appear highly reflective to birds but are largely transparent for humans. Smart glass technologies that dynamically adapt the reflective capacity are also in demand here.

How the glass industry is not only part of the problem but also part of the solution for bird protection was explained to us by Matthias Haller, Marketing Technical Service at Eastman and a speaker at glasstec 2024, in an Interview.

Sources

[1] Bird Safety Window Products Report: Trends and Forecasts 2025–2033, Data Insights Market, published on September 20, 2025 – Market report analyzing trends and forecasts for bird-safe window products designed to prevent bird collisions. 

[2] Birds Directive – Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) – Official overview and legal text of the EU Birds Directive. 

[3] Bird Collisions and Glass – Bird-Friendly Building Design (2023), Environmental Department of the City of Nuremberg – Practical guidance on preventing bird collisions with glass façades.

[4] The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (PDF), PRS Legislative Research, India – Consolidated legal text governing the protection of wild animals in India.

[5] China’s Wildlife Protection Law, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) – English-language analysis of China’s wildlife protection legislation.

[6] Bird-Friendly Design Guidelines (PDF), New York City Department of Buildings – Guidelines outlining bird-friendly building design and construction requirements.

[7] Standards for Bird-Safe Buildings, San Francisco Planning Department – Official standards and planning requirements for bird-safe building design.