SALT LAKE CITY — Tracy Aviary and Dark Sky SLC are launching a new campaign to get to residents to protect birds during the spring and fall migration seasons.

The campaign — Lights Out Salt Lake — aims to get residential and commercial buildings to turn off their lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. March through May and August through October.

According to the aviary, two-thirds of all songbirds migrate at night, and two major migration routes converge in the Salt Lake Valley. As the birds fly over brightly lit cities, they can become disoriented and collide with buildings. Salt Lake City’s high population density, compared to the rest of the state, increases the danger for migrating birds that fly through the area.

In 2017, a team of citizen scientist found 44 birds representing 19 species that had collided with buildings in downtown Salt Lake City during migration.

The Lights Out Salt Lake campaign will kick off Thursday with a "birds and brews" event at 6 p.m. For more information, log on to tracyaviaryconservation.org.