Each night and each light turned out helps save migrating birds!
Most North American migratory birds fly at night, and lights on buildings can disorient birds on their paths, resulting in fatal collisions. The Upper Texas Coast plays a key role on the Central Flyway, an important migratory path for birds. Birds that move along and across the Gulf of Mexico depend on safe passage through the Houston-Galveston area. Throughout migration, and particularly during storm fronts, turning Lights Out for Birds can make a big difference.
We encourage businesses, buildings, and individuals across the state to turn off all nonessential lights from 11 PM to 6 AM throughout spring and fall migration.
Spring Migration: March 1 - June 15. Peak period: April 22 - May 12
Fall Migration: August 15 - November 30. Peak period: September 5 - October 29
You can also follow Houston Audubon on Facebook and Instagram to see Lights Out Action Alerts for our region.
The following organizations have pledged to turn their lights out for birds!
| 1100 Louisiana (Enterprise Plaza) | 1415 Louisiana (Wedge Tower) |
| 3050 Post Oak | 601 Travis |
| 609 Main | 717 Texas |
| 811 Louisiana | 811 Main |
| 910 Louisiana (formerly One Shell Plaza) | 1717 W Loop S (Amegy Tower) |
| 600 Travis St (JPMorgan Chase Tower) | 440 Louisiana St (Lyric Center) |
| 16285 Park Ten Place (Offices at Park Ten Phase | 16290 Katy Freeway (Offices at Park Ten Phase |
| 2229 San Felipe St (San Felipe Place) | 845 Texas Ave (Texas Tower) |
| 2800 Post Oak Blvd (Williams Tower) | 4200 Westheimer Rd (200 Park Place) |
| George Observatory | City of Galveston |
| Downtown Houston | American National Insurance Company |
| Discovery Green | Trees for Houston Headquarters Building |
| HARC Headquarters | 800 Gessner (One Memorial City Plaza) |
| 820 Gessner (Two Memorial City Plaza) | 840 Gessner (Three Memorial City Plaza) |
Get your organization involved in the Lights Out for Birds program! Email Gabriel Durham at gdurham@houstonaudubon.org for more information or to make a pledge. To remain on this list, organizations must renew their pledge annually. Houston Audubon will send pledge reminders each season to facilitate this process.
Timeline
Houston Audubon’s Lights Out for Birds Program started in 2017 after a large collision event in Galveston. Thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University’s BirdCast bird migration forecast maps, Houston Audubon staff were able to track migration predictions for the region and issue alerts to the community when a chance of high migration coincided with weather events. Learn about the history of the Lights Out program.
Resources
Learn more ways to help migratory birds on our Bird Friendly Houston website.
