While bird-friendly glass is a requirement in many jurisdictions; specified for low-rise residential, commercial and government spaces, those laws do not encompass residential use.

“1 Billion” bird strikes per year is an often-used term, and according to a 2014 Smithsonian report, the median is 599 million bird deaths in the U.S. Interestingly, residential buildings account for an estimated 44% of these deaths. Since no bird-friendly laws involve residential use, it’s up to the homeowners to decide!

The homeowner opted for Safeflex FlySafe, a beautiful interlayer produced by Eastman. This interlayer combines with the aesthetics of the home and effectively deters even the smallest avians such as Hummingbirds!  The “sequin” look of the bird-friendly interlayer is unique to others such as invisible UV-based interlayers, acid etch dots, or printed dots.  The bright, highly reflective nature of the dots breaks the reflection of the surroundings of the windows, alerting birds that there is something in the way.

The “punchy” nature of the FlySafe is highly effective and has a very low threat factor compared to the mentioned alternatives.  When assembled in an IGU, the American Bird Conservancy states a Threat Factor of 6/100.  The closest matches fall in a range of 25-30/100.  https://abcbirds.org/glass-collisions/products-database/?_paged=16&_sort=title_desc