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Do your Avian LED Bulbs emit UV-A or UV-B?

I see that one says NO UV, and the other does not say one way or the other. It is my understanding that our Parrot Family birds do need Full Spectrum but that includes some UV-A and UV-B. 

We can confirm that these products are not designed to emit UV-A or UV-B, which can be noted on the lighting parameter analysis report link below for the A19 Avian bulb product. As such, it is entirely possible that specific avian families or breeds would benefit from specific adjustments to lighting, including the use of lights with a greater UV output. 

To this end, we might recommend reaching out to an avian specialist for specific instructions on creating ideal lighting environments for your parrots.

6500K A19 LED Product Report: https://www.waveformlighting.com/photometrics/TR_4005.65.pdf

Full Spectrum LED Lighting for Big Aviary and Horticulture

I would like to confirm that your CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free T8 LED Tube Light can be used for lighting in my indoor aviary (dimensions: 80" H, 86" L, and 62" D). I cannot use the Full Spectrum BR30 LED Bulbs 4000K / 5000K / 6500K as I would need several of them and my ceiling is glass (the aviary is inside the sunroom). If my assumption is correct, can the tubes be plugged in or are they only hard-wired? I can only plug them in based on my setup. If there is no plug-in version of the tubes, are there alternative LED strips I can use that are full-spectrum? Finally, are the horticulture tubes hardwired or can they be plugged?

We can confirm that the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free T8 LED Tube Lights are compatible with 4 ft fluorescent tube light fixtures which utilize the G13 base.

However, it might be helpful to know that these lights are not compatible with all ballasts present within fluorescent fixtures. Generally speaking, product incompatibility with ballast models may cause flickering, or a lack of functionality. For a full list of ballasts that have been tested as compatible, please review this link: https://www.waveformlighting.com/files/CD4020.txt

For further instructions regarding the installation methods available for these lights, we have provided a link to the product specification sheet below.

Product specification sheet: https://www.waveformlighting.com/datasheets/CS_4020-4000.pdf

If you would like to let us know which light fixture models you intend to use for the indoor aviary, we would also be more than happy to check to see if they are compatible with these lights.

Avian Bulb Placement and Fixtures

Would it be better to use an overhead ceiling fixture in my bird room or something closer to their cage, like a swag? Would a gradual dimming simulate natural sunrise and sunset? 

We generally find that widely illuminating a large area using a ceiling fixture is preferable to close-up lighting methods, as this better simulates the effect of natural daylighting across the entire sky.

​Gradual dimming would indeed also provide a better simulation of the progression of natural daylight throughout the day, although implementing an automated solution here would be some what challenging.

Avian Bulb Placement and Fixtures

I’d like to purchase one or both of your avian bulbs for my two Sun Conures. They are flighted but spend most of the day in and on their cage in a 10’ x 11’ bedroom. Should I use the overhead ceiling fixture or some type of floor lamp? How far away from them should the bulb be located and how should I position it? 

While these products do generate some heat, the output should not be significant enough to cause issues so long as the fixture they are installed within allows for moderate airflow. It might also be helpful to know that these products can be installed in either ceiling or floor lamps.

Regarding the exact positioning, this might unfortunately be a question better suited for avian specialists who are better informed regarding the ideal comfortable environments for Sun Conures.

UV-A LED Lighting for Avian Application

I own a parrot sanctuary, and we currently use 12-volt LED full-spectrum lighting for our parrot's living cages. We would like to add UVA lighting for the general health and well-being of our flock (birds actually see well into the UV spectrum, in addition to the health benefits from UVA exposure to avian species) and your 365/395nm UV LED strips look like a fantastic option for this purpose. Can you tell me if you have provided lighting products for others for this purpose? 

We, unfortunately, do not have any data or previous use cases for our UV-A products in avian applications, but this could definitely be a viable option to supplement the UV-A wavelength needs for birds.

In order to replicate the full solar spectrum, including the UV-A wavelength band, the use of our UV-A LED strip lights may indeed be an effective approach.

We've included the product link below :

Does the Avian A19 LED Bulb need to be installed closely to birds for full-spectrum light benefits?

Does this light bulb need to be right over my conure cage and perching area are can it be used in the light fixture in the ceiling in the room he is in? I saw some other lights have to be really close to birds for them to get the benefits of the full spectrum light- but they also can cause burning to the bird's eyes from being close.

We do not have a specific requirement as far as distance away, but in general, we recommend installing a larger quantity of bulbs located far away, rather than a fewer quantity installed very close.

The overall goal would be to replicate natural daylight, which actually "rains down" from a very wide 180-degree dome (i.e. the sky).

Recommended LED Lights for Breeding Dogs

I have breeding dogs in 5 x 5-foot dog kennels in a shop with 20-foot ceilings, which have 4ft 4 bulb lighting across the whole ceiling. The room is approximately 60 ft x 72 ft with the kennels occupying about 20 x 30 ft long along one wall. What lights should I use? Should I install a light shield over the tops of the kennels to defer the ceiling lights when the shop is being used regularly on our farm? Is this going to have a noticeable effect considering the ceiling lights? 

While lighting applications for animal health are beyond the scope of our expertise, we would be more than happy to assist with general recommendations for creating a lighting environment that best mimics natural light.

We would perhaps suggest starting with a target illumination level of 150 footcandles. This would require approximately 3700 lumens per 5 x 5 ft kennel.

Our most popular product is our flicker-free T8 LED tube lights. These lamps can be housed in 4-ft lamp fixtures and feature flicker-free, full-spectrum light output at 95 CRI. Please see below for the product link:

Each lamp emits 1800 lumens, so for each kennel, you will want to use two or more lamps per kennel.

Alternatively, our BR30 lamps can also be used if you have standard, circular ceiling fixtures:

These lamps emit 800 lumens each, so you will want to use approximately 5 lamps per kennel.

UV-B LED Lights for Rabbit Shed

It was recommended to me to get Ultraviolet B lights for our rabbit shed to help with their vitamin D. Would it have the same effect to use the ultraviolet A strips you have?

UV-A and UV-B belong to two different classes of ultraviolet light and contain light energy from different wavelength bands. As such, we would not expect our UV-A LED strip lights to achieve the desired effect of UV-B radiation.

Avian LED Strip Lights for Racing Pigeons

I raise racing pigeons. I need some Avian Strip Lights. I have 2 -4x8 sections for breeding that do not get enough natural lighting. I do have 2 ceiling lights I could put two screw-in bulbs for natural lighting in. What do you recommend at the price? Also, I would like to install a couple of strip lights. What do you have for that? 

Based on our calculations using our lumen estimation calculator, it appears that each 4x8 ft space would benefit from roughly 1,524 lumens. This means that your space should be sufficiently illuminated with 2 of the 6500K Avian Full Spectrum E26 A19 LED Bulb for Birds items, which each have an 800-lumen output.

If you would like to add additional lighting, we might recommend the 12V 6500K FilmGrade™ WHITE LED Strip Lights, which match the 6500K color temperature of the avian bulbs. This product also has the benefit of being used with dimmers, which might be valuable for your installation. These light strips can also be mounted within our Aluminum Channel for LED Flex Strip products, which are available in flat and corner-shaped options.

Please note that this product does require the use of a 12V DC power supply, such as our FilmGrade™ DC Power Supply for LED Strip product.

However, as an alternative, we might also recommend the 6500K NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixture products.

These products are designed for easy installation, can be daisy-chained together for power, do not require additional housing or power supplies, and contain LED lighting within the integrated fixtures. This option could also be less expensive than the LED strip lights after the additional costs of power supplies and mounting accessories are considered.

realUV LED Strip Lights for Aquatic Turtles

Would the UV LED strip be good for my aquatic turtle? The tank I have came with LED lighting to look nice however turtles require UVB lighting for their shell. The tank is closed so a regular lamp won't work. I'm hoping I could stick your product on the inside cover and provide her w the required UVB light she needs. 

The first step in checking for compatibility would be ensuring that the inner cover area of the tank is waterproof. This is because our LED strip lights are not designed to come into contact with water or moisture, and are not IP rated. The presence of moisture or water on the products could cause an unsafe electrical hazard and would void the product warranty.​As such, generally speaking, we discourage the use of LED strip light products within installations where they may come into contact with water.​However, if the inner cover of the tank is indeed waterproof, and could offer protection against outside moisture, then the RealUV™ LED Strip Lights product could be a great option for your aquatic turtles!

realUV LED Lights and Bird Anti-Collision Glass

Last year I built a new modern design house for myself and my wife which has many 10 ft tall by 5 ft wide windows. Bird collisions are now a problem and I do care about our feathered friends. I am trying to find bird anti-collision applications that have a vetted high degree of efficiency but yet are relatively unnoticeable. I have applied clear UV liquid in 2 x 4 patterns on the exterior of the glass, however I am still witnessing bird strikes and the UV liquid washes off in a few spots of rain and must be re-applied. So please, a few questions; 

Do you know of a realUV LED application as a shadow caster on large insulated residential windows specifically for bird anti-collision? The “UV shadow caster” illustration has the 385 NM UV LEDs in a canted (45-degree?) wood trim at the interior window glass frame. 

Do you think that a realUV Flood Light might work if it was aimed from the exterior on a large window? If the realUV 365 nm flood is invisible to the human eye, it might possibly be an economical solution. 

I read your cautionary note on exposure of the human eye to UV light. So in the end, realUV light might work to invisibly illuminate window glass so that birds will avoid it, but at what cost to the vision health of the human occupants?

We have checked on our end, but this is the first time we have worked with any customers on a solution for bird collisions using our UV LED products. As such, our support will likely be limited to product-related technical information as well as practical guidance, but we would nonetheless be more than happy to assist to the best of our ability.

It looks like our realUV LED strip lights would be a great option that would replicate the 385 nm UV LED strip lights used in the shadow caster installation. We do believe that the 365 nm wavelength option would perform just as well, if not better than, the the 385 nm wavelength. (For further reference, please see our article comparing 365 nm to 395 nm).

We must admit that we're still not clear on the mechanism of the UV shadow caster. Specifically, what is the "shadow" being cast and how does the UV interact with the glazing to create such shadows? What is the glazing material and what is the desired effect in terms of making it visible (or visible exclusively to birds) under the UV?

Most birds have twice the UV vision perception of the human eye. The concept is that flooding the surface of the glass with UV light will appear to birds as a virtual, near solid barrier. 

I have been in touch with an eye doctor regarding her opinion about being substantially exposed to UVA light in the 365 NM and 405 NM spectrum on a daily basis. The doctor’s opinion is that UVA exposure is not harmless.  

Regarding the “UV caster” with the above said, I am now inclined to explore utilizing the UVA 365 NM flood lights aimed at the window glass in combination with UV filtering applied window film to block the UV light from entering the interior.

While we can't speak to the efficacy of the specific UV caster product, we do now understand that taking advantage of the differences between birds and humans in terms of their wavelength sensitivities, there may be an opportunity to develop a solution that benefits birds without creating a significant hindrance to humans.

As far as UV safety is concerned, it’s a bit difficult for us to provide assurances and guarantees regarding the safe use of ultraviolet LED products, as each installation and application can vary significantly, so we recommend consulting a UV safety expert if you have any further concerns.

Both the 365 nm and 395 nm wavelengths fall under the UV-A wavelength range, which is a weaker form of ultraviolet radiation that is found in natural daylight so there are fewer concerns than other ultraviolet products that fall under the UV-B or UV-C wavelength ranges, for example.

That being said, below are some general safety guidelines that we would recommend following:

LED Strips Lights that provides similar output to Avian Bulbs

I would like to know which of your LED strips provides output most similar to your Avian bulbs. I would also like to know the same info about your LED tubes. 

Because our products offer a 95 CRI color quality level, virtually all of our 6500K color temperature products will provide light quality similar to those in our avian line.

For example, please see below for the LED strip lights and LED tube lights that best match:

Below is a link to all of our 6500K products:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/color-temperature/6500K

T8 LED Tube Lights for Avian Applications

I see you have specific bulbs for avian applications! Is/are any of your led tube bulbs good for this application as well? I have tube style fluorescent bulbs in my bird room currently! I just want to make sure that your tube style won’t be bad for my birds?

We're happy to confirm that our T8 LED tube light products, such as the CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free T8 LED Tube Lights, offer extremely similar high CRI values as our avian bulbs. As such, both products feature great spectral coverage.

Is the NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixture dimmable?

Unfortunately, the NorthLux™ 95 CRI T5 LED Linear Light Fixture is not dimmable.

That being said, we do offer other products which are dimmable, such as the NorthLux™ 95 CRI BR30 LED Bulb for Artwork & Studio. Depending on your installation, these products might be valuable alternatives.

Which of your lighting systems would you recommend for two months old lovebird?

I just got a new baby Lovebird that is about two months old. During the fall and winter, I want to give him adequate light that is as natural as possible so he can be happy and so his body can produce the nutrients it needs. Which of your lighting systems would you recommend? Do you have some kind of kit that would fit inside or above his cage that is simple to set up?

Currently, we are only able to offer individual bulbs for sale and we do not any have kits or complete solutions. If you have any existing lamps or fixtures, our lamps would be a great option to replace any old or burned out lamps, but if you are starting from scratch, you may want to check with some specialty pet supply sellers.

Below are the two lamps we currently offer:

Ultraviolet B lights for Rabbit Shed Lighting

It was recommended to me to get Ultraviolet B lights for our rabbit shed to help with their vitamin D. Would it have the same effect to use the ultraviolet A strips you have?

Unfortunately our UV-A LED products emit strictly UV-A wavelengths, so they would not have any benefit for applications that require UV-B wavelengths. We would perhaps recommend seeking fluorescent UV lamps as an alternative product, as they emit a wide range of UV wavelengths, including both UV-A and UV-B.

Recommendation for Full-Spectrum Bird Room Lighting

I breed birds, primarily finches, in a 12' x'20' room with 8-ft. ceilings. Currently, the room is lit by two 4-ft. 2-tube LED ceiling-mounted fixtures which are hard-wired on a single circuit controlled by a wall switch/timer. I want to switch to full-spectrum lighting and it looks like your channel-enclosed strip lighting is a good option. Need help in making the right selections, preferably from someone familiar with birds.

Our LED products sound like a great fit for your space, and we look forward to working with you to help improve the lighting in your space, particularly concerning avian health.

Generally, our approach to avian lighting is to recommend lighting that best matches natural daylight at a spectral level, as that is typically what birds expect and need from a lighting perspective.

​For your installation, we would have to recommend our flicker-free full-spectrum LED tube lights. Our CENTRIC DAYLIGHT LED tube lights feature 95 CRI and can be used in existing 4-ft fixtures, and maybe a great way to immediately convert the lighting in your space to flicker-free and full spectrum lighting, without any need for extensive fixture reconfiguration.

Please see our product link below:

Does your full-spectrum fluorescent fixtures 5000K can be used for avian applications?

I've been using full spectrum fluorescent fixtures with 5000K and 90+ CRI, and am considering ordering from your 98 CRI products for my parrots. Do you know if your LEDs can be used for this purpose? There doesn't seem to be much literature out there on replacing full-spectrum fluorescents in aviaries with comparably rated LEDs.

Our high CRI LED products sound like a great way to enhance your existing fluorescent lighting products for avian applications.​Our 95+ CRI rating indicates that our lamps do an excellent job of recreating natural daylight, which is something that fluorescent lamps struggle to do (the highest CRI values are generally 90 for fluorescent lamps).​The one difference, however, is that LED lamps generally do not include UV radiation. Some research indicates that birds can benefit from UV radiation, so if that is a concern, you may want to be aware of that when considering LED lamps.

It shows you have two led bulbs for avian use. However, why the flood light version is dimmable, but the A19 bulb is not dimmable?

Would the A19 bulb blow up or fail if used on a dimmable circuit?At what distance from the birds should these bulbs be used?I always thought birds need UV radiation to produce vitamin D3. Do these bulbs not emit UV rays?

Unfortunately, due to the smaller size of the A19, we have not yet been able to incorporate the electronic components needed to achieve smooth and effective dimming. The A19 lamp cannot be used with any dimmers, even if the dimmer is set to 100% brightness.​We don't recommend placing the lamps too close to birds and maintaining at least a 1-foot distance away. We recommend placing 2-4 lamps per square foot to achieve sufficient coverage.​Our lamps do not contain any UV radiation - if you believe that additional UV exposure would be helpful, we would recommend locating a third-party source for dedicated UV bulbs.

Protecting LED strip lights for avian applications

We would like to use your LED strip lights to build a flicker-free lighting array for our bird cages. However, we can't have any lighting parts in contact or within reach of our animals as they will destroy them, so I am curious what suggestions you might have as to how to mount these behind the wire/mesh screening.

Our LED strip lights indeed sound like a great option for your needs. Paired with our flicker-free power supplies, you will be able to achieve a nice, flicker-free light output that fits the specific mechanical dimensions of the installation location.​

We understand the concerns with respect to mounting and keeping the LED strips away from your animals. The best immediate solution that comes to mind would be our aluminum channels, which will provide a certain degree of mechanical protection and act as a housing for the LED strip lights. Please see below for the product link:

https://store.waveformlighting.com/products/aluminum-channel-for-led-strip

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