Bird Aircraft Collisions Research Articles

Ensemble predictions are essential for accurate bird migration forecasts for conservation and flight safety

Abstract Accurate predictions of the abundance of migrating birds are important to avoid aerial conflicts of birds, for example, with aviation or wind power installations. Here we develop a predictive model, using bird migration intensity extracted from operational weather data. We compare baseline phenological models to models incorporating both local and remote weather conditions using an ensemble approach. Single models are compared to ensemble models (average prediction of top 10 models). The models were evaluated by omitting single years from our 10‐year dataset. In general, we find that wind conditions, in addition to seasonal and diurnal dynamics, are key for accurate predictions. The spring and fall migratory seasons differ, both with respect to the selected environmental variables and the contribution of the environmental model compared to the phenological model. In fall, the accumulation of migrants due to strong headwinds is an important predictor of migration. Because of the lower daily variation in migration intensity in spring, the phenological model performs better compared to fall. In fall, weather conditions contribute more to accurate predictions of migration intensity than in spring. Overall, the ensemble approach produces more accurate predictions outperforming specific environmental models. We therefore recommend that ensemble models be used in operational settings such as flight planning to reduce bird aircraft collisions during intense bird migration.

Avian diversity and bird-aircraft strike problems in Bahir Dar International Airport, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

BackgroundBahir Dar International Airport and its surrounding habitats are known for their rich avifaunal diversity, which results in bird-aircraft collisions as a fundamental problem in the area. A study on bird diversity and bird-aircraft strikes at Bahir Dar International Airport was conducted between February 2020 and August 2020. Based on its vegetation structures, the study area was classified into four habitat types namely; bushland, grassland, wetland, and modified habitats. Transect and point count methods were used to collect data on avian diversity and abundance. Questionnaire surveys, interviews, and document analysis were used to gather information about incidents and protection measures against bird-aircraft strike problems. Shannon–Wiener diversity index, Simpson’s similarity index, ANOVA, and chi-square test were used for data analysis.ResultsA total of 80 avian species belonging to 15 orders and 40 families were identified in the study area. The highest species diversity (H’ = 3.59) and species evenness (E = 0.96) were recorded in modified habitats during the wet season. Relative abundance categories of birds in the study area showed that most were uncommon birds. Birds pose severe threats to aircraft in the airport and 92.3% of the respondents replied that most bird-aircraft strikes occurred early in the morning and late in the afternoon when birds remain more active. The majority (88.5%) of questionnaire participants confirmed that bird-aircraft strike incidents frequently occurred during the time of takeoff and landing of the aircraft. It is also known that on average forty bird-aircraft collisions per year happen at the airport.ConclusionBahir Dar International Airport is rich in its bird diversity that recalls the aviation authority to work in collaboration with different organizations to avoid bird-aircraft strike problems using different control measures without compromising the conservation of birds.

Opinion: To save whales, look to the sky

Human activity threatens whales. Whale populations face indirect impacts such as ocean noise and pollution, as well as direct impacts from whaling, fishing gear entanglements, and ship collisions (1). Such collisions are believed to kill about 80 whales on the US West Coast each year (2). Although precise estimates have not been tabulated, whale deaths likely amount to several thousand annually worldwide. Simple steps could reduce this toll, but these have yet to be put in place in a systemized way (3⇓–5). With maritime traffic expanding, the threat to whales can be expected to increase. It is therefore critical that we investigate what can be learned from the management of other transport systems to reduce collision and improve whale conservation. Shipping routes have been compared with roads, and concepts from terrestrial ecology have been borrowed to assess the direct and indirect ecological impacts from shipping on marine giants (6). For example, some have suggested that the addition of transition zones adjacent to maritime routes may help buffer the spread of shipping environmental impact. We extend this approach to draw lessons from the aviation industry on how to manage collisions with wildlife, lessons that point to crucial steps for better protecting the ocean’s whales (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. The aviation industry offers useful lessons for the shipping industry on how to manage wildlife collisions, which point to crucial steps for better protecting whales. Image credit: Shutterstock/Manamana. Fig. 2. Comparing the primary features of wildlife–vehicle collisions among four transportation industries highlights important differences and commonalities. Whale–ship collisions share more characteristics with bird–aircraft collisions than with terrestrial wildlife–vehicle collisions. There are some key theoretical similarities with the aviation industry (Fig. 2). Both whale–ship and bird–aircraft collisions occur in three-dimensional space. Ship draught can reach a depth of 20 m, and some whale … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: maxime.sebe{at}polytechnique.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

The assemblage of birds struck by aircraft differs among nearby airports in the same bioregion

Abstract Context Bird–aircraft collisions impose an economic cost and safety risk, yet ecological studies that inform bird hazard management are few, and to date no study has formally compared species’ strike profiles across airports. In response to strike risks, airports have implemented customised management on an airport-by-airport basis, based on the assumption that strike risk stems from prevailing local circumstances. We tested this assumption by comparing a decade of wildlife–aircraft strikes at three airports situated in the same bioregion (likely to have similar fauna) of Victoria, Australia. Aim To compare the assemblage of wildlife struck by aircraft at three major airports in the same bioregion. Method Standardised wildlife strike data were analysed from three airports (Avalon, Melbourne and Essendon Airports), in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion, central Victoria, Australia. Ten discrete 1-year sampling periods from each airport were compared, spanning the period 2009–19. Bird data were comparable, and data on mammals were considered less reliable, so emphasis was placed on birds in the present study. Results In total, 580 bird strikes were analysed, with the most commonly struck species being Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen; 16.7%), Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis; 12.2%), Australian pipit (Anthus australis; 12.1%), masked lapwing (Vanellus miles; 5.9%), nankeen kestrel (Falco cenchroides; 5.0%), house sparrow (Passer domesticus; 4.8%), welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena; 4.3%) and tree martin (Petrochelidon nigricans; 4.0%). The assemblage of birds struck by aircraft over the decade of study differed between airports. The most commonly struck species drove the assemblage differences between airports. Conclusions and implications In the present study system, airports experienced discrete strike risk profiles, even though they are in the same bioregion. The airports examined differed in terms of air traffic movement rates, aircraft types, landscape context and bird hazard management effort. Given that strike risks profiles differ among airports, customised management at each airport, as is currently the case, is supported.

American Kestrel Responses to Aircraft in an Airport Environment

Animal perception of risk and response to vehicle approach affect survival. We quantified American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) behavioral response to aircraft approach in an airport environment, by examining the likelihood of initiating escape, flight-initiation distance (FID), and the type of escape response. We observed 32 American Kestrel-aircraft interactions at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, from June 2015 through September 2016. American Kestrels responded to aircraft by initiating escape (i.e., FID > 0) 34% of the time, with a mean FID of 64 m and frequent (82%) returns to the same location occupied before the escape. Based on effect size estimates, the trajectory of an aircraft approach (direct vs. nondirect) was a more important determinant of whether an American Kestrel initiated escape than was the type of aircraft (propeller or piston vs. jet-powered). Assuming an average aircraft ground speed of 51.4 m/sec on landing phase, birds responded on average 1.2 sec before an aircraft was over or at the bird's position. Based on the relationship among likelihood of initiating escape, FID, and reported bird-aircraft collisions (strikes) across species studied at the same airport, American Kestrels followed a strategy of relatively low likelihood of initiating escape and short FIDs, which led to infrequent strikes. However, compared to American Kestrels, some other species that followed a similar strategy had more aircraft strikes, whereas some species with different strategies experienced similar numbers of strikes. This variation among species in escape strategies and strikes should be studied further, as it could lead to new ways of modeling bird-strike risk at airports.

Collective effect of landfills and landscape composition on bird–aircraft collisions

Collective effect of landfills and landscape composition on bird–aircraft collisions

American Kestrel Responses to Aircraft in an Airport Environment

Animal perception of risk and response to vehicle approach affect survival. We quantified American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) behavioral response to aircraft approach in an airport environment, by examining the likelihood of initiating escape, flight-initiation distance (FID), and the type of escape response. We observed 32 American Kestrel-aircraft interactions at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, from June 2015 through September 2016. American Kestrels responded to aircraft by initiating escape (i.e., FID > 0) 34% of the time, with a mean FID of 64 m and frequent (82%) returns to the same location occupied before the escape. Based on effect size estimates, the trajectory of an aircraft approach (direct vs. nondirect) was a more important determinant of whether an American Kestrel initiated escape than was the type of aircraft (propeller or piston vs. jet-powered). Assuming an average aircraft ground speed of 51.4 m/sec on landing phase, birds responded on average 1.2 sec before an aircraft was over or at the bird's position. Based on the relationship among likelihood of initiating escape, FID, and reported bird-aircraft collisions (strikes) across species studied at the same airport, American Kestrels followed a strategy of relatively low likelihood of initiating escape and short FIDs, which led to infrequent strikes. However, compared to American Kestrels, some other species that followed a similar strategy had more aircraft strikes, whereas some species with different strategies experienced similar numbers of strikes. This variation among species in escape strategies and strikes should be studied further, as it could lead to new ways of modeling bird-strike risk at airports.

Simulation Model to Calculate Bird-Aircraft Collisions and Near Misses in the Airport Vicinity

Annually, thousands of birds collide with aircraft. The impact usually has lethal consequences for the bird, the involved aircraft can experience severe damage. The highest bird strike risk occurs at low altitudes. Therefore, aircraft within the airport area as well as the adjacent approach and departure corridors are especially vulnerable to collisions with birds. To analyse risk-reducing measures in these areas, a fast-time bird strike simulation environment was developed. An open-source Air Traffic Management simulator was enhanced with a model to represent bird movements and to recognize bird strikes. To confirm the reproducibility of the outcome, Monte Carlo simulations were performed. They included bird movement data from one year and air traffic flight plans for various air traffic volumes. The number of strikes and near misses showed an expected variance within the individual replications. The results indicate that the predictability of the number of strikes and near misses increases with rising number of birds, and rising air traffic intensity. Thus, by considering simulation scenarios including bird movement information from all seasons and a sufficient air traffic volume, the described set-up leads to stable results.

Urbanization Around an Airfield Alters Bird Community Composition, but not the Hazard of Bird–Aircraft Collision

SummaryBird strikes are a considerable hazard to the aviation industry, which has led airports to develop detailed management strategies to identify and reduce the risk of them. These strategies include plans to modify bird habitats in and around airports to limit the establishment of high-risk species. Although airports are generally located on the outskirts of towns and cities, they may be encroached on by urban sprawl. In this study, we examined how an urbanization gradient affects the bird community around an air force base in Cape Town (South Africa) and quantified how this could modify the hazard of bird–aircraft collision. We surveyed the bird community in and around the Air Force Base Ysterplaat across four seasons and categorized species based on their response to increased urbanization (urban avoiders, adapters and exploiters). By combining this with species-specific information on body size, flock size, flight behaviour and abundance, we showed that although urbanization affects bird composition, the overall hazard of bird–aircraft collision is consistent regardless of urban response. However, urbanization complicates mitigation in the matrix surrounding the airport and creates novel challenges for the management of bird hazards. Therefore, new bird hazard management strategies should be integrated within community-driven land-use planning to minimize the negative effects of bird–aircraft collisions.

Composition and Diversity of Avian Communities Using a New Urban Habitat: Green Roofs.

Green roofs on buildings are becoming popular and represent a new component of the urban landscape. Public benefits of green roof projects include reduced stormwater runoff, improved air quality, reduced urban heat island effects, and aesthetic values. As part of a city-wide plan, several green roofs have been constructed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD). Like some other landscaping features, green roofs on or near an airport might attract wildlife and thus increase the risk of bird-aircraft collisions. During 2007-2011, we conducted a series of studies to evaluate wildlife use of newly constructed green roofs and traditional (gravel) roofs on buildings at ORD. These green roofs were 0.04-1.62ha in area and consisted of primarily stonecrop species for vegetation. A total of 188 birds were observed using roofs during this research. Of the birds using green roofs, 66, 23, and 4% were Killdeer, European Starlings, and Mourning Doves, respectively. Killdeer nested on green roofs, whereas the other species perched, foraged, or loafed. Birds used green roofs almost exclusively between May and October. Overall, avian use of the green roofs was minimal and similar to that of buildings with traditional roofs. Although green roofs with other vegetation types might offer forage or cover to birds and thus attract potentially hazardous wildlife, the stonecrop-vegetated green roofs in this study did not increase the risk of bird-aircraft collisions.

Conflicting traffic: characterization of the hazards of birds flying across an airport runway

AbstractBird–aircraft collisions cost millions of dollars to aviation globally and cause deaths. We designed and tested a protocol to study the hazards to aircraft from birds flying across runways where aircraft rotate and climb during take‐off. We recorded birds and flight height of birds flying across runway 03L at OR Tambo International Airport, South Africa. A total of 7,938 birds of pigeon size or larger crossed a 400 m length of runway during 14 h and 15 min, a rate of 8.8 birds per minute; there were 200 aircraft taking off during this period. The biggest bird–aircraft collision hazard is posed by African Sacred Ibis and Grey‐headed Gull. Respectively, these species contribute a mean of 111 kg per 10 min and 47.2 kg per 10 min biomass flying across the runway. We identify possible management options to reduce the hazard of bird–aircraft collisions. Our survey protocol and data treatment is easy to use, will add additional and important definition to existing activities to reduce bird–aircraft collisions and can provide comparable hazard information to aerodrome authorities and pilots.

Managing Raptor-Aircraft Collisions on a Grand Scale: Summary of a Wildlife Services Raptor Relocation Program

Author(s): Schafer, Laurence M.; Washburn, Brian E. | Abstract: Bird-aircraft collisions (bird strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Raptors (i.e., hawks and owls) are one of the most frequently struck guild of birds within North America. Integrated wildlife damage management programs combine a variety of non-lethal and lethal management tools to reduce the presence and duration of raptors at airports. Live-capture and translocation away from an airport is a commonly used method to reduce the risk of raptor-aircraft collisions. In 2007, USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (WS) developed an airport program-specific plastic leg band (i.e., black with yellow alpha-numerics) for use in operational raptor management activities by the agency at airports. As part of this nation-wide effort, WS airport biologists live-captured, marked with auxiliary markers (i.e., project-specific leg band), and conducted over 3,900 raptor translocations from airports and military bases located in 16 states during January 2008-May, 2015. This represents a large portion of the raptors that were managed using this non-lethal method by WS during these years. Not unexpectedly, raptor translocation efforts and the raptor species managed varied among geographic regions/states and at specific airport locations due to a variety of logistical factors. Fifteen different raptor species were marked and translocated during this effort. Red-tailed hawks, American kestrels, and great horned owls accounted for 58%, 14%, and 6% of marked/translocated birds, respectively. Although research is needed to better understand and increase the efficacy of such management efforts, this non-lethal method of reducing the presence of individual raptors at airports will be an important component of future wildlife damage mitigation programs.

Cowbird responses to aircraft with lights tuned to their eyes: Implications for bird–aircraft collisions

ABSTRACT Collisions between birds and aircraft (bird strikes) are expensive, risk human lives, and increase bird mortality. Aircraft lighting has been proposed as a potential means of enhancing avian responses to aircraft. Determining the optimal changes to lighting to reduce bird strikes is a complicated problem because avian visual systems differ markedly from that of humans. Icteridae, including Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater; hereafter “cowbirds”), are involved in bird strikes, have a well-described visual system, and respond to approaching vehicles and lights. Our goal was to assess cowbirds' responses to a remote-controlled (RC) aircraft fitted with lights tuned to the cowbird eye. On the basis of perceptual modeling (i.e. visual physiology, object and background reflectance, and ambient light conditions), we found that 470-nm lights (“blue” portion of the human spectrum) would be the most conspicuous wavelength for cowbirds. We used field experiments to examine cowbird response to 470-nm lig...

Bird use of solar photovoltaic installations at US airports: Implications for aviation safety

Several airports in the US have recently installed large photovoltaic (PV) arrays near air-operations areas to offset energy demands, and the US Federal Aviation Administration has published guidelines for new solar installations on airport properties. Although an increased reliance on solar energy will likely benefit airports from environmental and economic perspectives, bird use of solar installations should be examined before wide-scale implementation to determine whether such changes in land use adversely affect aviation safety by increasing risk of bird-aircraft collisions. We studied bird use of five pairs of PV arrays and nearby airport grasslands in Arizona, Colorado, and Ohio, over one year. Across locations, we observed 46 species of birds in airfield grasslands compared to 37 species in PV arrays. We calculated a bird hazard index (BHI) based on the mean seasonal mass of birds per area surveyed. General linear model analysis indicated that BHI was influenced by season, with higher BHI in summer than fall and winter. We found no effect of treatment (PV arrays vs. airfields), location, or interactions among predictors. However, using a nonparametric two-group test across all seasons and locations, we found greater BHI in airfield grasslands than PV arrays for those species considered especially hazardous to aircraft (species≥1.125kg). Our results suggest that converting airport grasslands to PV arrays would not increase hazards associated with bird-aircraft collisions.

Hierarchical incorporation of shape and shape dynamics for flying bird detection

Flying bird detection (FBD) is critical in avoiding bird–aircraft collisions. Most existing approaches rely on motion detection to identify the flying bird, since it is a typical moving object. However, when there exist other moving objects, those methods often fail to distinguish flying birds from those objects due to the insufficiency of feature description. In this paper, we introduce a novel hierarchical feature model exploiting shape and shape dynamics to improve the ability of representing a flying bird, and then apply it to the FBD problem. As the shape of a flying bird is very distinctive in geometric structures and could provide discriminating spatial information, an improved shape context feature descriptor is proposed at the lower level to capture the spatial relations in bird shape. Then the shape descriptor is extended into the spatio-temporal domain and a shape dynamics description is built at the higher level, in which a 4-state Markovian model is adopted and is learned from training sequences. Moreover, to build a mapping from the lower level to the higher level of the hierarchy, a shape similarity index (SSI) based matching mechanism is designed. We apply these two-level features for detecting flying bird for improved safety of aircrafts flying at low-altitude. The experimental results show that the proposed method is effective and outperforms three other existing vision-based FBD approaches.

Do Native Warm-season Grasslands Near Airports Increase Bird Strike Hazards?

Bird aircraft collisions (bird strikes) are a recognized safety hazard and land uses that attract birds hazardous to aircraft should be avoided on and near airports. Many airfields contain large areas of anthropogenic grassland habitats, often dominated by cool season grasses. Land managed as native warm season grasses (NWSG) potentially could increase bird strike hazards on and near airports by attracting hazardous birds and harboring small mammals that are prey for hazardous raptors. We investigated bird and small mammal communities at three NWSG areas and three adjacent on airfield grassland areas in western Ohio, U.S.A. to determine whether NWSG increased bird strike hazards. Species specific differences in bird abundance and density were evident between the two landcover types, presumably the result of differences in plant community characteristics. Seven species of birds were found exclusively in NWSG or airfield grasslands. Birds of species categorized as ‘moderate’ to ‘extremely high’ in regard to hazard (severity) level to aircraft accounted for only 6% and 2% of all birds observed in airfield grasslands and NWSG areas, respectively. Small mammal capture success was approximately three times higher in NWSG areas, although raptor abundance did not differ between the two landcover types. Our findings suggest that NWSG might be considered a viable land use adjacent to airfields; however, similar research at additional locations, including larger NWSG areas, should be conducted.

Exploiting avian vision with aircraft lighting to reduce bird strikes

Summary1. Bird–aircraft collisions (bird strikes) represent a substantial safety concern and financial burden to civil aviation world‐wide. Despite an increase in the rate of damaging bird strikes, necessary steps to develop a mitigation method outside of the airport environment have not been empirically tested.2. We assessed whether use of aircraft lighting might enhance detection of and reaction to the approach of an aircraft in flight by Canada geese Branta canadensis Linnaeus, a species responsible for a high rate of damaging bird strikes. We used a novel approach by estimating the visibility to the goose visual system of a standard radio‐controlled (RC) aircraft (standard aircraft) exhibiting either a 2‐Hz alternating pulse of two lights, or lights off; and another RC aircraft designed to mimic a raptor (predator model). We then exposed wing‐clipped Canada geese to the approach of each aircraft and quantified behavioural responses to respective treatments.3. Estimates of chromatic and achromatic contrasts indicated that the standard aircraft with lights on was more salient to the visual system of the Canada goose than with lights off or the predator model.4. At individual and group levels, quicker alert responses were observed to the standard aircraft with lights compared with the lights off and predator model. Goose groups showed similar responses to approaches by the standard aircraft and the predator model, suggesting use of antipredator behaviour to avoid the aircraft.5. Synthesis and applications. Understanding animal sensory ecology and associated behaviours can aid the development of methods exploiting certain behaviours to reduce negative human–wildlife interactions. For example, reducing the frequency of bird strikes requires the integration of wildlife management efforts within and outside of the airport environment that target species resource use and response to disturbance, with mitigation techniques focused on the aircraft. Moreover, the design of aircraft lighting systems to enhance detection and avoidance by birds is contingent upon understanding avian visual ecology and behaviour. Based on spectral sensitivity in Canada geese, aircraft‐mounted lights that peak in the ultraviolet/violet range (380–400 nm) are likely to produce the maximal behavioural effect.

Fatal injuries to birds from collisions with aircraft reveal anti‐predator behaviours

Between 1990 and 2008, more than 87 000 bird–aircraftcollisions (hereafter, bird strikes) were reported to theUS Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and repre-sented more than US$600 million in direct and indirectcosts to US civil aviation annually (Dolbeer et al. 2009).Worldwide, the costs to civil aviation associated withbird strikes exceed US$1.2 billion annually (Allan Oas a consequence, the authors suggest that a genericavoidance response was initiated prior to impact.Clearly, an aircraft poses a hazard to birds (Blackwellet al. 2009a, Dolbeer et al. 2009) and there is empiricalevidence that birds utilize anti-predator strategies inresponse to human disturbance similar to strategies usedwhen encountering a predator (e.g. Frid & Dill 2002,Moller et al. 2008, Blackwell et al. 2009b). Thus, in anapplied context, anti-predator behaviours can help us tounderstand the mechanisms behind the responses ofwildlife to different types of human activities (Fernan-dez-Juricic et al.2001, Blackwell 2009b).We questioned, therefore, whether informationobtained via necropsy of struck birds would indicate notonly a behavioural response to the aircraft, but distinctanti-predator behaviours (e.g. Lima 1993, Hedenstrom& Rosen 2001, Blackwell et al. 2009b). If so, necropsiesof struck birds could provide information useful inunderstanding avian response to aircraft approach and,potentially, in the development of predictive methodsintended to reduce the frequency of bird strikes. Ourobjectives were to determine whether injuries associatedwith a strike were discernible from those incurred dueto impact with the ground, and whether injuries to birdswithin phylogenetic groups and foraging guilds (cohorts)were distinctive, thus indicating cohort-specific responsebehaviours. We assumed that if a fatal injury occurredbecause of a strike (i.e. a strike not involving engineingestion), but the carcass received further damage dueto impact with the ground or crushing by ground vehi-cles, the location of injuries would be randomly distrib-uted. In contrast, the location of strike injuries alone islikely to be governed by either a generic avoidanceresponse (e.g. Sheehy et al. 2005) or species-specificanti-predator behaviours, and therefore be clumped.Across all birds examined in our study, fatal injurylocations were generally posterior, ventral and on the leftside. Because of the predominant ventral distribution ofinjuries we conclude that the birds had taken evasiveaction in response to the aircraft, reflecting knownaspects of anti-predator behaviour.METHODSCarcass recoveryDuring 2000 and 2001, staff at John F. Kennedy Interna-tional Airport (JFK), New York, USA, recovered car-casses of birds reported to the FAA as killed in collisionswith aircraft at the airfield, as well as those presumed sogiven the location at recovery. We obtained the FAAstrike reports for those birds recovered as a result of areported strike. The carcasses were recovered during fiveto 10 daily sweeps of the runways, taxiways and groundwithin 250 feet of the runways. Upon recovery, the car-casses were frozen and sent to the US Department ofAgriculture’s (USDA) National Wildlife Research Cen-ter, Ohio Field Station, and assigned a unique numberbefore examination. We excluded from our sample ofbirds those which were severely desiccated, partly

Ranking birdstrike risk: A case study at Huanghua International Airport, Changsha, China

Bird-aircraft collisions (birdstrikes) pose a major threat to aviation safety worldwide. The bird distribution at the airfield of Huanghua International Airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, was investigated between December of 2006 and December of 2008, to study birdstrike avoidance and aviation safety. A total of 60 bird species was found and their risks were assessed by a birdstrike ranking assessment system. The highest-risk species were Barn swallow ( Hirundo rustica), Red-rumped swallow ( H. daurica), Grey-headed lapwing ( Vanellus cinereus), Pintail snipe ( Gallinago stenura), Oriental skylark ( Alauda gulgula), Little egret ( Egretta garzetta), and Eurasian woodcock ( Scolopax rusticola), whereas the lowest-risk species were Black-capped kingfisher ( Halcyon pileata) and White-throated kingfisher ( H. smyrnensis). Through a hierarchical cluster analysis, all species were classified as four groups: (1) the extremely high-risk group with a risk level between 84% and 100%, which includes bird species ranked from the 1st to the 16th, and is the priori group in birdstrike prevention; (2) the high-risk group with a risk level between 71% and 81%, which includes bird species ranked from the 17th to the 28th, and is the sub-prior group in birdstrikes; (3) the sub-high-risk group with a risk level between 60% and 69%, which includes bird species ranked from the 29th to the 43rd, and is the concern group in birdstrike prevention; (4) the low-risk group with a risk level between 60% and 69%, which includes bird species ranked from the 44th to the 60th, and is the negligible group in birdstrike prevention. Finally, the first 16 bird species with high-risk values, which are the main focus of birdstrike prevention, were categorized as six prevention groups by a hierarchical cluster analysis. Therefore, this study provides targeted implementations for birdstrike prevention at Huanghua International Airport, Changsha.

Personal and corporate liability in the aftermath of bird strikes: a costly consideration

This paper details liability issues inherent in bird–aircraft collisions (bird-strike) incidents at airports and discusses how airport managers and operators must strive to conduct accurate assessments and develop and implement an effective wildlife management plan. Such efforts are mandated by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, and failure to follow them may result in loss of human life and property, as well as large financial penalties for managers and operators and adverse media attention and public criticism for the airport authority.