American Bird Conservancy approves five Flyway™ bird-safe glass patterns
All five etched samples submitted by River City Creative Glass were found to satisfy ABC's criteria for bird-friendly glass, with assigned Threat Factors™ of 20 and 25.
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — River City Creative Glass has received approval from the American Bird Conservancy for five bird-friendly glass patterns, clearing the way for the Minnesota fabricator to supply bird-safe glazing on projects governed by ordinances, sustainability guidelines and green building rating systems.
The patterns are sold as Flyway™ Bird-Safe Glass. Each uses a permanent etch on surface 1 of the glass, in a geometry evaluated to keep birds from colliding with windows.
What was evaluated
River City Creative Glass submitted five surface-1 etch patterns for evaluation under the ABC / Bird-Safe Buildings Alliance protocol. The evaluation period ran from June to August 2026, and the resulting report is dated August 26, 2026.
The Bird-Safe Buildings Alliance, a group of architects experienced in bird-friendly design, conservation biologists and others with collisions expertise, found all five samples to satisfy ABC's criteria for bird-friendly glass and materials.
| Pattern | Description | Threat Factor™ |
|---|---|---|
| A | 6 mm dots, 2″ × 2″ grid spacing | 20 |
| B | 6 mm dots, 2″ × 4″ grid spacing | 25 |
| C | 3 mm vertical lines, 2″ spacing | 20 |
| D | 3 mm vertical lines, 4″ spacing | 25 |
| E | 3 mm horizontal lines, 2″ spacing | 20 |
All five patterns: permanent etch on surface 1.
Why the numbers matter
A Threat Factor™ is ABC's measure of how likely birds are to collide with a material. Lower is better, and ABC treats a Threat Factor of 30 or below as the bird-friendly threshold, a level corresponding to a conservative estimated reduction in collisions of at least 50% under real-world conditions.
Every Flyway pattern falls below that line. Patterns A, C and E land at 20; patterns B and D at 25.
Where it can be applied
The approval is notably broad. ABC's report states that the five surface-1 etch patterns are acceptable on any vision glass or tinted glass unit, with all coatings behind the surface 1 etch. The rating travels with the pattern across substrates: clear, low-iron and tinted glass, monolithic or insulating, with low-E and solar-control coatings positioned behind the etch.
River City Creative Glass applies the Flyway etch in-house at its Burnsville facility. Insulating glass units are supplied through an IGCC-certified partner such as Oldcastle where a project requires certification, or fabricated in-house in any configuration a customer requests.
Available now
Flyway™ Bird-Safe Glass is available immediately for commercial, institutional and residential projects. Sample kits and the full evaluation report are available on request.
Mark Haines, Sales Manager, River City Creative Glass
3550 W 145th St, Burnsville, MN 55306
952-224-9030 · markh@rivercityglassinc.com
About River City Creative Glass
River City Creative Glass is a custom glass fabricator in Burnsville, Minnesota with more than 28 years of experience serving residential, commercial and trade customers across the Twin Cities metro and nationally. Work includes shower enclosures and mirrors, storefront and curtain wall, back-painted and printed architectural glass, and bonded glass assemblies for retail and display applications.
Threat Factor™ is a trademark of the American Bird Conservancy. Flyway™ is a trademark of River City Creative Glass.