As billions of birds migrate through Texas during the peak spring season, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is once again participating in the Lights Out initiative to ensure their safe passage.
Cities across the region, from Frisco to Dallas to Fort Worth, are dimming non-essential lights to reduce the deadly risks posed by light pollution, which can disorient birds traveling at night, according to the Texas Conservation Alliance.
Frisco officials highlighted the urgency of the effort, noting that a BirdCast forecast predicted 223 million birds would migrate across the U.S. on April 26. In a social media post on X, Frisco Parks & Recreation urged residents to turn off non-essential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. through May 12, aligning with the peak migration period.
“Each night and each light turned out helps save migrating birds!” Frisco Parks & Recreation stated in a follow-up post on X, encouraging residents to sign up for migration alerts at BirdCast.
On Monday, 378 million birds were predicted to migrate across the U.S.
The Lights Out, Texas! campaign was launched by Audubon Texas in 2017 after a mass bird collision event in Galveston killed nearly 400 songbirds in one night. The campaign has grown into a statewide effort.
In the DFW area, the initiative operates under Lights Out, DFW!, a program started in 2020 to address the region’s significant light pollution challenges. According to the Texas Conservation Alliance (TCA), DFW ranks third among the 125 largest U.S. urban areas for exposing migratory birds to light pollution.
“Majority of North American birds migrating travel at night! Unfortunately, light emanating from our cities can disorient birds, leaving them confused and vulnerable to urban threats like collisions with buildings,” Audubon Texas explained. The group estimates that 100 million to 1 billion birds die annually in North America due to collisions with manmade structures, many caused by light pollution.
In Dallas, Reunion Tower is participating by dimming its lights overnight from April 14 to May 18, 2025, joining other regional landmarks in supporting safe migration, NBC 5 DFW reported.
Fort Worth has also been active. Last year, the TCA launched its first survey for dead birds in downtown Fort Worth, an extension of the work the organization has been doing in downtown Dallas since 2020.
Texas is a critical corridor for nearly 2 billion birds migrating each spring and fall, making regional efforts like Lights Out, DFW! vital for their survival. The initiative encourages all residents, businesses, and building owners across the metroplex to turn off non-essential lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during migration seasons, which spans from March 1 to June 15 and August 15 to November 30.
By dimming lights across Dallas, Fort Worth, Frisco, and surrounding areas, the DFW metroplex aims to reduce bird mortality and create safer skies for the countless species passing through this spring.