Billions of birds migrate across the U.S. each year, but artificial lights in cities can disorient them, increasing the risk of collisions with buildings and windows. On April 24, 2026, SciLine interviewedDr. James Lowenthal, a professor of astronomy at Smith College.
TV bundle includes:
Soundbite (SOT)
VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
Raw, full-length interview video & log with timecodes (upon request via form below)
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Click for VOSOT script (can be used as-is or modified)
ANCHOR
EVERY YEAR… BILLIONS OF BIRDS FLY ACROSS THE U-S.
BUT CITY LIGHTS ARE DISORIENTING THEM… SENDING THEM OFF COURSE AND INTO DEADLY COLLISIONS WITH BUILDINGS.
VO
DOCTOR JAMES LOWENTHAL… AN ASTRONOMY PROFESSOR AT SMITH COLLEGE IN MASSACHUSETTS… SAYS 80-PERCENT OF ALL BIRDS IN AMERICA MIGRATE… MOSTLY AT NIGHT… USING THE STARS TO NAVIGATE.
BUT BRIGHT CITY LIGHTS CONFUSE THEM… CAUSING THEM TO VEER OFF COURSE AND INTO BUILDINGS… OR TO CIRCLE CITIES UNTIL THEY DROP FROM EXHAUSTION.
HE ESTIMATES THAT KILLS 100-MILLION TO A *BILLION BIRDS EVERY YEAR.
SOT
Duration: 1:08
Super: Dr. James Lowenthal – Professor, Smith College
“It’s actually easy and desirable and beautiful and beneficial to curb light pollution. Nobody benefits from shining light up into the sky or into our eyes. When we use a flashlight at night, we all know that you point the flashlight down on the ground. You don’t poke it in your own eyes. We all know if a police officer is using a flashlight on a crime scene, the light shining in the eyes is blinding. We all know that in live theater, the number one rule is don’t shine the light into the audience’s eyes, and yet we somehow forget that in the outdoors. So it’s actually, it’s beneficial on every single count if we control light pollution. It improves safety on our roads by reducing glare, which leads to temporary blindness, human health, wildlife, everything from birds to pollinating insects to sea turtles and mammals and everything else, and it lets us get back the sky.”
VO
DOCTOR LOWENTHAL SAYS THE SOLUTION IS AS SIMPLE AS FLIPPING A SWITCH.
BUT GETTING PEOPLE TO CHANGE IS THE BIGGER CHALLENGE.
HE SAYS ORGANIZATIONS ARE WORKING WITH BUILDING MANAGERS IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY… ENCOURAGING THEM TO TURN OFF LIGHTS AT NIGHT.
AND HE SAYS DOING SO CAN CUT BIRD DEATHS BY AS MUCH AS 90-PERCENT.
Raw, full-length interview covers:
How artificial light at night disorients migrating birds and leads to collisions;
What data shows about bird deaths from light pollution, and why migration seasons are especially risky;
Why turning off or dimming lights during migration periods is a simple, effective solution communities can adopt; and
The overall benefits of reducing nighttime lighting, including energy savings, improved health, and reduced impact on wildlife.
