10/21/2026
With fall migration well underway, we are receiving A LOT of birds daily who have hit windows, including this Belted Kingfisher.
If a bird has hit yours before, this kingfisher asks you to please be mindful and properly treat the window to prevent it from happening again. While you may think of cities when it comes to window strikes, a significant amount actually happens at homes. Birds do not understand that a window is a dead end, only seeing the open space reflected in it. But you can signal that to them by applying decals, markings, or tape to the glass. To be effective, whatever you use has to have no more than 2” of space between and must cover the entire outside of the window (we have a helpful how-to article linked in the comments).
If you watch a bird hit a window or find a bird immobile beneath one, please bring it in to us. Birds can sustain detached retinas, ruptured air sacks, broken beaks, brain or spinal swelling, and more in collisions. Some injuries are not visible to the naked eye or take hours to truly show. Even if a bird seemingly “recovers,” it will likely decline again later and die without treatment.
A majority of the window strike victims we are admitting are insectivores, or birds who mainly eat bugs. We would appreciate any donations of live bugs to help us feed these birds while they heal. You can find their favorites listed on our Amazon Wishlist at: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1FO2ABY8R82NN. Simply select the item(s) you wish to donate, enter our shipping address below, and your donation will be sent right to the rescue.
Donations can be dropped off or shipped to 3600 Lynn Ave., Castle Hayne, NC 28429 anytime.
