Bald eagle crashes into house’s front window

WHITEHALL, Pa. (WFMZ) - A bald eagle is on the mend after crashing into a Pennsylvania home.

Bird-versus-window collisions aren’t as rare as you may think, and animal experts say there are ways to try to prevent them from happening.

It was not a typical Tuesday for a family in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, when around 5:30 p.m. a bald eagle slammed into their front window and shattered the plate glass.

“More than likely he was seeing a reflection of the sky or simply light, and felt that he could continue through it,” said Kathy Uhler, the director of the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.

Whitehall police responded to the collision and found the eagle on the ground. Officers called a wildlife expert, but by the time she arrived it had flown off.

“It’s not every night that you have a bald eagle crashing through a window down there,” Uhler said.

Uhler said while it’s not common to see an eagle crash into a window, bird collisions are too common.

“We’re losing like a billion birds a year to window collisions, it’s not a small problem,” Uhler said.

Uhler said most windows are clear so birds try to fly right through them, or the windows give off a reflection that can also attract the animals.

The good news is collisions are avoidable.

Uhler said installing windows with ultraviolet barriers can save the birds’ lives.

“We can’t see ultraviolet but birds can and it’s becoming a really good way to prevent these collisions,” she said.

As for the Whitehall window eagle, experts say it’s a good sign that he flew away, but that doesn’t mean he escaped unscathed.

“The bird is obviously not feeling great tonight, so we’d like to prevent those collisions when we can,” Uhler said.

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