Our homes are often scenes of quiet carnage. Every day, thousands of birds mistake a reflection for a flyway, or they take off fast from a feeder and slam into a window. This happens both with migrants and birds familiar with a backyard.

Birds and windows simply don’t mix: put a flying bird up against a sheet of glass and the glass wins, every time. Estimates range from hundreds of millions to a billion or more window kills a year in this country. One out of every two birds dies after hitting a window. Some that fly away later succumb to injuries.

We don’t often see the results because birds often fall into shrubbery and are eaten by scavengers or, in downtown areas, are cleaned up by maintenance crews. Window strikes occur at all times of the day and in all seasons of the year.

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Minnesota’s largest ER for sick and injured wild creatures, admits many birds after window strikes.

"The most common injuries are head trauma and broken bones," says Phil Jenni, executive director of the center. "Unfortunately, the severity of injuries sustained from crashing into windows is often fatal."

Some of our favorite backyard birds are frequent victims, including robins, juncos, cedar waxwings and cardinals, even tiny hummingbirds. Some of the saddest cases are spring migrants who’ve flown thousands of miles only to end up crushed below a window, or fall’s young birds, who haven’t had time to become window savvy.

OK, enough bad news. There are things we can do to lessen windows’ danger to birds.

Birds often collide with windows as they fly to and from feeding stations, so ask your customers to take a bird's eye view of their homes from the  feeding area. Birds generally collide with only one or a few windows, and these are often large panes of glass on the first floor.

Once "killer windows" are identified – those that are highly reflective or are opposite a window on the other side of the house, providing a clear view through the house – customers can relocate feeders to provide safer routes.

The key thing to remember is that so many things in our environment are hazardous to birds. This is one, at least, that we can do something about.

Making windows bird-proof:

The "rule of 3 or 30." Move feeders and birdbaths more than 30 feet away from or within three feet of windows. Distance gives birds time to avoid a window; proximity prevents them from building enough momentum to kill themselves. Feeders attached to windows are  a great idea.

Make windows look less like the outdoors by breaking up the expanse of glass. Raptor silhouette decals can be effective if you attach enough of them to break the glass into small sections. Try closing drapes or blinds (although this only partially reduces reflectivity), and/or put up spider-web appliques, which kids will love.

Place mesh netting across the outside of frequently hit windows. This doesn’t do much for the appearance of the window, but it’s 100 percent effective – if birds hit the netting, they just bounce off. An alternative is to hang an old storm window screen or screen door in front of a lethal window.

Try other ways to break up a window’s reflectivity: some people suspend a large branch in front of a window, spray on fake snow drifts or hang Mylar balloons or strips, shiny pie plates or CDs that move in the breeze across the window.

Rx for stunned birds

If you find an unconscious bird, it’s best not to leave it outside for scavengers to find.

Instead, gently pick the bird up and place it in a paper bag or cardboard box with air holes. Leave the bag or box in a quiet, warm area away from children and pets (a bathtub works fine for this).

After an hour, bring the container outdoors, open it up and see if the bird flies off. If it doesn’t fly and/or is obviously injured,  contact a wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian for help.