Adelaide CBD Glass and Wires Claim Over 1,700 Native Birds: Council Confronts Rundle Mall Crisis

More than 1,700 tree martins have been killed, injured, or stunned within the Adelaide CBD's premier shopping strip, with collisions into glass windows and overhead wires identified as primary causes, according to a newly released report.

A colony of the small birds migrated to Rundle Mall mid-last year after the local council installed exclusion netting on their previous roosting trees along Leigh Street. The netting was introduced following complaints about noise and hygiene from Leigh Street traders. However, similar issues have now emerged in Rundle Mall, where bird numbers reached an estimated peak of 20,000 during the roosting season.

High Casualty Rates Recorded

A report prepared by environmental consultancy Avisure for the City of Adelaide details the toll on the local wildlife. During the 2025-26 roosting season between December and June, council rescuers documented 1,773 affected birds. Among these, 670 died, 256 sustained injuries requiring veterinary care, and 847 were stunned but subsequently released.

The findings showed that many casualties resulted from "overhead wires and large glazed shop-fronts, resulting in building entrapments and strikes". The birds' presence also affected local businesses, which faced disruptions trying to manage the birds, while the overall precinct experienced issues with "odour and bird faeces".

Mitigation Efforts Deployed

To address the spike in injuries and address public hygiene, the council introduced a management plan last year. This move followed the widespread sharing of online videos showing the birds colliding with shopfronts.

In response, several businesses took action. The Apple Store applied highly reflective stickers to its windows to "reduce the likelihood of birds misinterpreting windows as open flight paths" — a tactic the report deemed highly effective. Other local businesses saw similar success. According to the report, "The upper storey window of [one business] was prone to strikes and following the installation of window decals on the upper storey, collisions declined significantly to less than half the number during April 2026,".

Additional safety measures have included placing markers on overhead wires, implementing professional cleaning around roosting trees, and launching public awareness campaigns to guide the community on helping injured birds. Protective covers on overhead wires also successfully prevented some injuries.

While the report noted that "a regular presence" of rescuers "enabled a rapid response" and "improved welfare outcomes", it pointed out that no historical baseline of injury rates exists for comparison.

Council to Assess Findings

The City of Adelaide is set to review the report's findings at its upcoming meeting next Tuesday. A council spokesperson declined to comment until elected members have formally established a position.

Speaking on Wednesday, Councillor Phil Martin noted that approximately 400 tree martins currently remain in the mall. He said it remains "uncertain" whether they will return next year.

"According to the experts, they should have been gone, but the temperatures haven't been as cold as expected ... they may go or they may stay until next roosting season," Councillor Martin said.

Rescue Group Welcomes Action, Warns of Future Risks

Charlotte Faulhaber, a member of SA Native Animal Rescue, expressed support for the council's measures, stating she believed the local government "has pretty much covered everything" compared to the previous year's efforts.

Ms. Faulhaber explained that the birds' natural tendencies leave them highly vulnerable to sudden accidents. "Something will flush them out of the trees, it could be a predator, or even just a pigeon deciding it's going to roost ... but some times there's absolutely no rhyme or reason," she said. "It's just unfortunate that we can't choose where wildlife choose to live in the CBD."

Looking ahead, Ms. Faulhaber highlighted looming biosecurity risks, stating her primary "concern now is how the [H5] bird flu is going to be handled when that comes inland".

"During the day, the tree martins are feeding out in wetlands, but it's not really known exactly where they go," she noted. "So we don't know what they're going to be exposed to and whether they're going to be affected in large numbers."

One of the key recommendations scheduled for discussion by council members next week involves "management actions ... associated with H5 bird flu", which has not yet been identified in the Greater Adelaide Region.