UWS Glass Condo Building Kills 28 Birds In 1 Day, Advocates Say

CENTRAL PARK, NYC — Twenty-eight birds who died crashing into an Upper West Side condo building's reflective windows is just the latest bird-related tragedy since the building opened in 2017, advocates said this week.

Advocates with the Wild Bird Fund counted 28 birds Saturday morning who died from hitting Circa Central Park, a luxury building that faces the north side of the park on West 110th Street.

The death toll is a particularly bad day for what has become a normal occurrence when birds, largely from South or Central America, are trying to make a pit stop in Central Park on their journey north, WBF Director Rita McMahon said.

"Birds look at that reflective glass and they see the green of the trees and the sky — there is nothing to tell them it's solid," McMahon said. "Its a problem in many places, but the location of this building right on the park is like a cruel twist of trickery."

Wild Bird Fund, the New York City Audubon Society and other advocates have written to Circa several times about fixing the windows with no response, McMahon said.

The building, like others with similar problems in New York City, can help birds by adding inexpensive UV film, dots or frets to their windows, she said.

"They could save thousands of lives," McMahon said.

A New York City Council bill passed last year does mandate buildings to use methods like McMahon mentioned to create "bird-friendly glass," but the legislation only applies to new buildings or those replacing a significant amount of glass.

Circa Central Park, who advertises the views of the park as one of its main amenities, opened in 2017. Its condos go for nearly $3 million each, according to the website.

Of the birds that hit Circa's windows on Saturday, 26 were found dead and two were found hurt and later died from their injuries.

McMahon said the high death count was likely because it was a "big day" for birds coming through Manhattan.

Wild Bird Fund also treated injured birds on Saturday from other spots in the city, including 17 that were brought in largely from buildings near the World Trade Center, according to the organization.