An American landmark is doing its part by going dark this month.
The Gateway Arch, which has triumphantly bent over St. Louis, Missouri, for more than half a century, will now bow to nature.
Throughout September, the lights on this Midwestern marvel will be turned off as millions of migratory birds begin their journey south.
The Arch’s exterior lights will be turned off each evening to reduce the risk of disorienting the birds, as the brightness can cause them to veer into buildings or stray from the correct migration route.
St. Louis, and its resplendent Arch, critically sit on one of North America’s busiest avian superhighways: the Mississippi Flyway.
National Park Service data shows that roughly 40% of the nation’s migratory waterfowl rely on this path throughout the year, with many birds traveling under the cover of darkness, making city lights a major hazard.
Since 2002, the Gateway Arch has gone dark in both May and September to support the spring and autumn migrations, when more than 300 species of birds pass through the St. Louis area.
Come October, and past the peak of the autumn migration period, the lights will return to their normal schedule.
Beyond the big arch lights, the Audubon Society has offered tips on how humans living along the migration path can assist their avian friends this season.
Measures include keeping cats indoors and away from songbirds who are passing through.
The organization urges folks to shut off outdoor lights to avoid disorienting the winged.
Clear glass is a silent killer for birds, which easily mistake reflective windows for open sky or trees. The Audubon Society advises using decals, paint, or glass markers to disrupt the surface and make the barrier visible.
To prevent the spread of disease among migratory birds, the Audubon Society underscores the importance of regularly cleaning bird feeders.
Last year, a record number of migrating birds were killed by flying into NYC’s iconic skyline.
At least 1,250 warblers, flickers, and other species were lured to their deaths in 2025 during their annual fall pilgrimage, smashing the 2024 record that logged the bloodiest year yet.
Worse still, the true death toll is likely much higher, after an unusually heavy migration season sent thousands more birds through the five boroughs than in years past.
This comes as the world’s birdlife is already on the brink. A 2019 study by Cornell University in Ithaca found that approximately three billion birds have died off since 1970.
The Audubon Society has warned that 389 North American bird species will become extinct within the next half-century.
Along with breaking the hearts of avian lovers, this unfortunate trend could have major ramifications worldwide. Roughly 5%of plants rely on birds to pollinate them, meaning that die-offs could cause food production to plummet, thereby disrupting global ecosystems.
On an economic level, dwindling bird numbers can impact the production of cash crops such as coffee and chocolate or pharmaceutical precursors.
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