I went to an alligator themed tourist attraction in Florida years ago where a man would hover his hand inside an alligator’s mouth - he claimed that if you don’t touch their palate, the alligator’s bite reflex will not be triggered.
Now this man had about 4 fingers on both of his hands combined, so take from that what you will…
It definitely would in rural areas. And aside from birds, it’s helpful for the insect population in any backyard to have the lights off.
Plastic straws were a drop in the bucket, but rather than going back to them, we should be taking more steps forward (ex plastic cutlery, disposable cups, etc). I’d rather see baby steps forward than throw in the towel because the problem is so big