Lights Out, Texas! is a community-driven education campaign that asks residences, businesses, and institutions across the Central Flyway to turn off or dim nonessential lights at night during peak spring and fall migration while also addressing window reflections and transparency during the day to reduce bird collisions.
Texas is globally important for birds. Approximately one out of every three to four birds migrating through the U.S. passes through Texas in one of the planet’s greatest wildlife spectacles. Unfortunately, excess light pollution and urbanization often affect birds by disorienting them and causing them to strike buildings. It is the top human-related cause of death for birds.
When cities and towns along migration corridors adopt Lights Out practices, they collectively reduce cumulative mortality at critical stopover and passage sites, bolster population resilience, and amplify the effectiveness of habitat protection and policy measures across the full annual cycle of migratory species — producing measurable benefits for birds throughout the Americas.
The Lights Out, Texas! campaign inspires community action to turn off non-essential lights at home and advocate for long-term policy change for communities to pass bird-safe building ordinances—a win for residents who no longer witness traumatic collisions and instead get to enjoy healthy urban centers with thoughtful lighting and design for all our feathered friends making their hemispheric journey to nest or rest.
When to Participate
- Spring Migration
- Full Migration: March 1 – June 15
- Peak Migration: April 22 – May 12
- Fall Migration
- Full Migration: August 15 – November 30
- Peak Migration: September 5 – October 29
How You Can Help
Did you know that most birds migrate at night? They often use the moon, stars, and sun to navigate. Light pollution can interfere with these signals and cause a serious problem for birds: they might be thrown off course or become so disoriented that they circle until they fall to exhaustion or collide with buildings. You can help with just a flick of a switch—plus you’ll save money on energy costs!
- Turn off lights at night on unoccupied floors and in unused spaces.
- Close curtains and blinds.
- Turn off exterior floodlights during bird migration season.
- Opt for shielded lighting that directs lights downward.
- Try using task lighting at your workstation instead of overhead lights if you’re working late.
More Resources
- Get Email Alerts About Migrations in Your City: https://alert.birdcast.org/subscribe
- Social Media Toolkit
- Travis Audubon Resources
