1.A Futuristic City Meets a Bird Migration Flyway

In the middle of Saudi Arabia’s desert, a bold vision is rising. The Line, part of the $500-billion NEOM mega-project, is promoted as the world’s most futuristic city: a 170-kilometer straight line of mirrored skyscrapers, each towering up to 500 meters high. Its developers present it as a model of sustainable living, powered by renewable energy and designed for walkability. It will eventually accommodate 9 million people and will be built on a footprint of just 34 square kilometers. This will mean a reduced infrastructure footprint, creating never-before-seen efficiencies in city functions.

The Line, NEOM

Yet the features that make The Line spectacular—its sheer scale, its continuous mirrored façade, and its illumination at night—could transform it into an “invisible wall” across the desert sky.

The city’s proposed location in Tabuk Province, near the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba, overlaps directly with the Red Sea Flyway, one of the most important migratory corridors for birds in the world.Every spring and autumn, this narrow bottleneck funnels 1.5 to 2.1 million soaring birds between Africa and Eurasia, including endangered species such as the Egyptian Vulture.

To conservationists, that raises a troubling question: What happens when one of humanity’s most ambitious architectural experiments collides with one of nature’s oldest migratory routes?

2. The “Invisible Wall” Problem

2.1 Glass as a Deadly Illusion to Birds

Birds do not perceive glass the way humans do. To them, mirrored façades reflect sky and clouds, creating the illusion of open flight paths or safe resting places. Transparent glass can also trick birds into believing they can fly through. On a structure like The Line—a continuous 170-km stretch of reflective glass—these illusions are multiplied at an unprecedented scale.

2.2 Artificial Light at Night

At night, artificial lighting adds another hazard. Many migratory birds navigate using celestial cues, and bright urban lights disrupt this orientation. Research has shown that light pollution causes disorientation, prolonged circling, and exhaustion, leading to increased collisions. If The Line is illuminated along its entire façade, it risks becoming a giant beacon in the desert, drawing birds directly into danger during migration seasons.

2.3 Scale Magnifies Risk

In the United States alone, researchers estimate that anywhere from 365 million to nearly a billion birds die each year after colliding with buildings—most often with tall, glass-heavy structures. On a global scale, the losses almost certainly reach into the billions. Against that backdrop, The Line would not just be another building on the map. By stretching for 170 kilometers as a continuous reflective wall, it would become the largest glass barrier ever built, right in the path of the world’s busiest migration corridors.

The causes of bird deaths, 2015

3. The Red Sea Flyway: A Migration Bottleneck

3.1 A Global Highway for Birds

Red Sea Flyway, one of the world’s most significant bird migration corridors. Each year, more than 1.5 to 2.1 million soaring birds—including storks, pelicans, and raptors—use this route to travel between Eurasia and Africa.

3.2 A Seasonal Bottleneck

The bottleneck effect is strongest during spring (March–May) and autumn (August–October). During these periods, huge flocks concentrate over the Gulf of Aqaba and along the Red Sea coast. Any large, reflective, or illuminated structure in this zone could intercept vast numbers of birds in a very short time.

3.3 Species of Global Concern

Among the migrants are several globally threatened species:

Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) – Endangered
Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) – Endangered
Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) – Endangered
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) – Numerous but ecologically critical

Therefore, protecting this flyway is not just a regional issue but a matter of global conservation responsibility.

4. Mitigation Measures: From Design to Operations

4.1 Bird-Safe Design Solutions

The most direct solution lies in designing. Bird-friendly glass—including fritted, patterned, or UV-coated glazing—can break reflections and make surfaces visible to birds. Interrupting long stretches of glass with structural breaks or textured surfaces also reduces collisions. If applied early, such design changes could significantly lower mortality while preserving the futuristic aesthetic.

4.2 Operational Adjustments

Good design alone is not enough—how a building is operated matters just as much. In many North American cities, seasonal “Lights Out” campaigns have already shown strong results, cutting bird deaths during migration peaks. Simple measures, such as dimming lights or switching from harsh blue-white LEDs to warmer tones, can greatly reduce the risk of birds becoming disoriented at night.

4.3 Monitoring and Adaptive Management

Technology can provide real-time support. Radar and camera systems make it possible to follow bird movements as they happen, and even trigger automatic responses like lowering lights when large flocks approach. The key is adaptive management—adjusting measures continuously based on what monitoring reveals, rather than relying on static plans.

4.4 Offsetting Measures

Even with the best precautions, some losses are hard to avoid. To balance this, developers can invest in broader conservation efforts, such as restoring habitats, protecting wetlands, or upgrading dangerous power lines along the flyway. These actions help offset the project’s footprint and show that futuristic development can go hand in hand with concrete commitments to nature.

5. Governance and Responsibility

5.1 International Legal Frameworks

Saudi Arabia has signed several key international agreements, including the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). Both treaties require member states to protect migration routes and reduce human-made risks. A megaproject like The Line inevitably raises the question of how seriously these commitments will be honored.

5.2 Environmental Impact Assessments

For a project of this scale, an independent and transparent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is essential. Without reliable data made available to the public, claims of “sustainability” remain unconvincing. Sharing results openly would not only strengthen trust but also allow international experts to review the findings and recommend practical solutions.

5.3 Regional and Cross-Border Cooperation

Migratory birds do not stop at borders. Protecting the Red Sea Flyway will require regional collaboration. Countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Israel, together with organizations like BirdLife International, could play an important role in joint monitoring and coordinated conservation efforts.