McCormick Place installs bird-safe film to deter migrating birds from hitting its windows

Following years of pressure from bird advocates, McCormick Place Lakeside Center's glass facade is becoming more safe for birds.

The lakefront building's glass windows are currently being covered with a bird-safe film, which is meant to deter birds from flying into the glass.

The $1.2 million project began in early June and will take three months to complete, just in time for the beginning of the fall migration, according to a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, which manages McCormick Place.

"As an organization that strives to be a good neighbor and environmental steward, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority remains committed to minimizing McCormick Place’s impact on local and migratory birds," said Larita Clark, the authority's chief executive, in a statement.

Birds rely on the moon and stars to travel, and bright lights from glass structures at night throw off their navigation. Pulled toward the light, they often can’t perceive the glass and think they can fly straight through.

The center is one of the easternmost structures along the lakefront and made mostly of glass — about two football fields' worth. It sits along one of the major bird migration paths. In one night last fall, roughly 1,000 birds flew into the lakefront building and died.

After that deadly night, the authority's staff began working with bird advocates, experts and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to make the building more safe for migratory birds, the spokesperson said. The authority's board approved the project in March.

In addition to the bird-safe film, the center will continue using measures to prevent bird collisions, including closing drapes and turning off lights when possible, the spokesperson said. For the migration season, the authority will work with the Field Museum to monitor and track collisions daily.

"McCormick Place's glass retrofitting and light reduction are a win for birds," said Annette Prince, director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors.

The move is also setting an example for other buildings and future projects, especially for large glass structures near green spaces and waterfronts, Prince said.

Prince's group, along with the Bird Friendly Chicago coalition has worked for years with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development to create comprehensive guidelines to help developers design buildings to prevent birds from striking them.

The city's current sustainability plan recommends applying bird-safe measures similar to what McCormick Place is doing. But Prince and other advocates want them to be requirements.