Lights out for Migrating Birds – turn off your outside lights to help them make their trip

bird migration forecast map for April 26, 2024

Did you know that 191 different species of birds migrate through Georgia and that 82% of birds migrate at night? 

Light pollution is a relatively new hazard for migratory birds, who have evolved to migrate at night. Lights can attract and disorient migrating birds, leading to injury and death.

Lights Out is a conservation initiative to help protect migrating birds from the adverse effects of light pollution – residents are asked to turn off their lights from midnight to sunrise during key migratory nights, March 15 through May 31

Atlanta is ranked the 9th most dangerous city for migrating birds (and the 4th most dangerous for fall migrations), so the more of us in the area who participate, the bigger our impact can be.

Georgia Audubon graphic indicating that 191 bird species migrate through Georgia -- 82% of births that move through Georgia migrate by night.
Georgia Audubon graphic indicating that over 50% of all migrating birds in Georgia are songbirds. Light pollution attracts and disorients nocturnally migraing birds -- help protect them by turnig off yur lights!

For more information and to get up–to-date alerts, check out Birds Georgia Lights Out Georgia page or the CSU AeroEco Lab Georgia.

There are tools that can help you track migrating birds passing through our area at https://birdcast.info/. (Dekalb County info can be found at https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-GA-089.) 

Chart of expected nocturnally migrating birds