Minnesota Vikings' new stadium is killing birds, report says

Like something out of an old Windex commercial, it appears that the Minnesota Vikings’ new, glassy stadium is killing birds.

According to CBS News, a new report from three organizations -- the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds and the Friends of Roberts Bird Sanctuary -- indicates that birds are flying into U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis at an alarming rate.

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It is believed that nearly 500 birds die each year from flying into the stadium, which will host Super Bowl LII in 2018, making the structure the deadliest in the city for birds.

"We knew that the glass would be highly confusing to the birds," birdwatcher and study volunteer Jim Sharpsteen told City Pages. "They see a reflection of a blue sky in the glass, they think it's a blue sky. They see reflections of trees, they think they can land in those reflections of trees."

The groups that conducted the study hope that the findings convince the Vikings to remove the glass around the stadium or coat it with something that makes the glass less reflective. The groups also note that the process of replacing the glass could cost up to $60 million.

Jen Hathaway, director of communications at the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, told City Pages that she will withhold comment until "the study is finalized in 2019."

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