Stop Cardinals and Robins From Flying - Attacking Your Windows Repeatedly

Throughout the year, we receive emails asking,

"What can I do to stop Cardinals and Robins from repeatedly flying into or attacking my windows and car mirrors?"

To get the birds to stop, we need to know what is causing this behavior.

Cardinals and Robins are very territorial birds.

Most birds are territorial and will try to protect their mate, young or food sources from others of the same species. What the bird is seeing in you house windows or car mirrors is an intruder.

Male and female birds engage in this behavior. Females chase intruding females and males do the same when they see another male.

Birds Crashing or Flying into Windows Can Cause Them Harm

Thousands of birds, including Cardinals and Robins, die each year, crashing or flying into windows.

In this case, the bird sees a reflection of trees or sky and is unable to tell that the window is a solid barrier. As humans, we need to take some measure to remedy this problem.

What can you do to stop birds from crashing or repeatedly attacking your windows?

Decrease the reflectivity of your windows:

• Pull down your shades: white curtains or blinds can make it difficult for birds to see their reflections.
• Car mirrors can be covered with paper or plastic bags and held on with rubber bands. If possible, move the car to a different spot.
• Put the screens in operable windows to make them less reflective.
• Consider soaping your windows for a couple of weeks during the nesting season.
• Break up the reflection by hanging something, placing decorative window films, or using 1-inch-wide tape or ribbon to create vertical stripes every four inches on the outside of your windows.
• Move houseplants away from the glass and close curtains over windows and sliding glass doors whenever possible.
• Visitors Tips: One of our website visitors, James from Ontario, uses a full-size 8.5 x 11 photo of a person's face. "I've tried changing the face. I tried a male and a female face.

  I tried putting the picture on the back of a chair in the room rather than on the window. All have worked. The Cardinal stopped attacking my window.

  So far, the faces I have tried have all been in color and they have filled the 8.5x11 page," James said. Give it a try. It may work for you.

• Dave from Florida offers: I went outside and applied some "press-and-seal" to the window which did the trick. It was quick, easy, and can be easily removed when the bird moves on.

Create a physical barrier:

1. Build a net frame to act as a barricade by mounting fine-mesh netting (available at garden centers or hardware stores) in a rigid frame, using shelf brackets to hold the frame a couple of inches away from the window.
2. Install indoor-outdoor blinds on the outside of your windows.
3. Adhesive-backed cut-out silhouettes of hawks or falcons in flight to attach to the outer surfaces of the reflective glass are sold in virtually all stores catering to naturalists and birders.

   Any shape will work. The non-reflective cutout helps the birds focus on the glass and avoid flying into the glass.
4. If you're a bird watcher and feed birds, consider moving your feeders further away from windows.

While these measures won't guarantee Cardinals and Robins will stop attacking or crashing into your windows and mirrors, they may minimize the behavior.

One More Tip From Alex Sally

One last point: This behavior is at its peak during the nesting season. For the most part, this behavior should decrease as soon as the young leave the nest.

But, for an unfortunate few, it can go on all year long.

Explore more about the Northern Cardinal Habits

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