If you have never had a cardinal run into your windows at home you are probably wondering why an entire article is addressing this subject. But if you have had to endure a beautiful bright red bird pecking at your windows incessantly you already have searched this topic and know what a prevalent problem this is.
Most of the time it isn’t just a bird who isn’t paying attention and slams into your window. That is something that happens many times and when you first hear the sound of a bird hitting your window, you never forget it.
You usually check around to see where the poor thing landed and make sure it’s okay. The bird is usually stunned and surprised but within the hour you can check back and he or she is already well on their way.
This is not the area that becomes the problem, especially with cardinals. It is when they come upon the window and begin pecking away at it.
Yes, this is a subject that affects not only your sanity but possibly the future of the bird that is attacking your windows. There is one question you need to ask yourself if this ever happens to you.
Why is a Cardinal Attacking My Windows?
The answer to this question is so simple, you will be hoping that the solution is just as simple. Birds are very territorial and ready to pounce on other birds that they think are trying to attack them or their nests.
While this is an admirable quality on its own, the problem is when they see a reflection of a bird in your window, they don’t realize they are looking at themselves!
This is an easy mistake when birds are flying around and happen to come across a nice clean shiny window. Many humans, young and old, have walked into a sliding glass door inside of a home thinking the door was open.
At first, it’s funny, then it’s embarrassing. But the next time you go to that home you will probably see some decals on the window so you know not to make the same mistake again.
How to Stop Cardinals from Attacking Windows
Listed below are all of the ways that have been proven to be effective in deterring cardinals from attacking your windows. Many suggestions have come from bird-lovers who have graced their homes with feeders and baths to accommodate their fine feathered friends.
Their goal was to find the most humane way to deal with this pesky situation without hurting the birds in any way.
1 – Use your choice of cover-up
If you have curtains in front of the main window that seems to attract cardinals to your home you should pull them closed during the times the birds usually show up. You should try the same thing if you have pull down shades nearby.
The key is to obstruct the view so the cardinals cannot see their reflection.
2 – Place some decorative decals on the window to distract the birds
Just as you might apply colorful decals on a sliding glass door so no one will walk into it, find some colorful stickers you can place on your windows.
This is such a common problem that there are even stickers specifically designed for preventing bird collisions.
3 – Hang clear fishing line from the top of the window so it will not look so much like a mirror
If you choose this method you may want to keep an eye on it to make sure smaller birds don’t get caught in the fishing lines. You may want to cut different lengths so they can move around easily and birds will be less able to get caught in them.
4 – Draw vertical lines on the outside of the window
Instead of hanging fishing lines, you could get either a highlighter or a pen that is specifically used on glass to draw lines on your windows. Straight lines drawn vertically on the inside or outside of the windows will safely keep birds away.
5 – Follow the dotted line
Another type of distraction added to your windows can be found in a special tape that has white dots printed on it. You just have to stretch the tape across the window and press down on it.
Once you apply pressure lightly but evenly across the window just pull the tape off and the small white dots will remain on the window.
One type of product is available on Amazon is called Glue Dots. They are easy to apply and just as easy to remove.
6 – Hanging snakes
One homeowner tried something a little different to ward off cardinals from the windows at his home. He purchased two fake rubber snakes and hung them against each window.
He said the birds didn’t really notice them at first but once they realized what they were looking at they did not bother pecking at the windows again. It is inexpensive, easy to apply, and worth a try.
7 – Soap up or paint your windows
Applying soap to your windows or even a light coat of paint can cloud up your windows just enough to keep birds from checking themselves out at your home.
8 – Reflectors and other distractions
You can find a number of hanging items online that can decorate and dangle from inside or outside your home just enough to keep persistent cardinals from crashing into your windows.
You can find stickers, decals, special reusable netting and scare-away tape to help you easily put an end to cardinals and any other birds from bothering your windows.
Final Thoughts
While it seems like a good deal of attention has been devoted to solving this problem of cardinals crashing into windows, research on this subject has revealed incidents where birds spent hours pecking away at homeowners’ windows. Some would start in the morning and peck away all day.
If you have had this happen at your home, try any of the tips listed above and hopefully you will find a peaceful and quiet solution.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Film/Video/Media Studies, as well as an associates degree in Communications. I began producing videos and musical recordings nearly 15 years ago. I am a guitarist and bassist in Southwest MI and have been in a few different bands since 2009, and in 2012 I began building custom guitars and basses in my home workshop as well. When I’m home, I love spending time with my three pets (a dog, cat, and snake) and gardening in my backyard.