Opinion: Turn Off the Lights! Birds Are Depending on Us.

Deep in the heart of Texas, the stars at night burn big and bright, but if you're hoping to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way over Austin, you are probably out of luck.

As the region continues to experience rapid growth, Austinites are robbed of the spectacular night sky – but none are as harmed as birds.

Excessive artificial light causes birds to shift migratory and communication patterns, which leads to disorientation and more collisions with buildings. Experts estimate that 1 billion birds die from building collisions each year.

That is why initiatives like Lights Out, Austin! are so critical.

Spring migration is underway as millions of birds prepare to fly through Texas. Lights Out, Austin! aims to lower the use of extra outdoor lighting throughout the city to reduce migratory bird deaths from now until mid-April (or the end of spring migration).

Most outdoor lighting is designed in a way that produces too much light upward into the sky. From 11pm to 6am, residents and businesses are encouraged to turn off nonessential lights throughout the season. Residents can also turn off landscape lighting to avoid disturbing birds nesting in trees or gardens. These small steps can make a big difference for birds by reducing the likelihood of collisions with buildings.

Lights Out, Austin! is coordinated by Travis Audubon, a coalition of city, county, and nonprofit leaders, such as Defenders of Wildlife. The campaign is part of a statewide Lights Out led by Audubon Texas in collaboration with Cornell University. This campaign is gaining critical community support, but additional outreach and awareness efforts are needed to influence the design stages of future commercial and residential development in Austin.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which supports the Dark Skies program, natural darkness is disappearing due to the increase of artificial light used by businesses and residents. The Dark Skies initiative, led by the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, works with businesses and local communities to keep lights on the ground and out of the skies. Simple solutions like addressing the shielding, color, intensity, and timing of lights decrease light pollution significantly.

Austin is home to 950,000 people and is growing rapidly. In 2021, about 116 new residents moved to the Austin metro area each day, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Texas state demographers predict the metro area will surpass 3 million residents by 2045, and some predict this could happen even sooner. An increase in residents naturally results in an increase in light pollution. With numerous people migrating to Austin, current residents, businesses, and policymakers should make turning off nonessential lights, especially during migration season, a priority.

---

Caley Zuzula is the program manager at Travis Audubon. Zuzula is a graduate of Texas State University with a Master of Science in Population and Conservation Biology, and has worked in conservation-oriented nonprofits throughout the state.

---

Azalia Rodriguez is the Defenders of Wildlife Texas representative. She graduated from Western Texas College with a master’s in wildlife biology from the University of Queensland-Australia. Her work focuses on habitat restoration and endangered species.