© Thomas Bender/ Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
(New York, NY) – The city is going to make some new bird-friendly changes. The Lights Out Coalition, along with New York City officials and animal rights advocates, gathered to celebrate the passing of Intro 1073, the final piece in a legislative package called Flaco’s Laws. The bill is named after Flaco, a Eurasian eagle-owl who tragically died in 2024 after striking a reflective window. The law mandates bird-friendly materials in business and residential buildings by January 1, 2030, to prevent fatal bird collisions.
Council members Tiffany Cabán and Shaun Abreu, the bill’s sponsors, emphasize that this is a pressing environmental issue. They point to a global decline in bird populations by 60% in recent decades. More locally, each year a quarter-million birds die due to crashing into buildings in the city.
