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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Wildlife Strike Rates In The United States, Dan Parsons, Michael Malouf, Wayne Martin Jan 2022

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Wildlife Strike Rates In The United States, Dan Parsons, Michael Malouf, Wayne Martin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted air traffic, industry bodies warned of the potential increase in wildlife strike risk. Prior to the pandemic, wildlife strikes were already a concern to the industry. We sought to evaluate industry warnings using interrupted time series analysis of wildlife strike trends in the United States. Using pre-pandemic wildlife strike trends, we compared a forecast of the expected monthly strike rates through the COVID-19 impact period (March 2020 to December 2020) to the actual wildlife strike rates for the same period. Our results showed an increase in wildlife strike rates in 5 out of the …


Impact Of Covid-19 On Aviation-Wildlife Strikes Across Europe, Isabel C. Metz, Marta Giordano, Dionysios Ntampakis, Marianna Moira, Anneke Hamann, Rosanne Blijleven, Jürgen J. Ebert, Alessandro Montemaggiori Jan 2022

Impact Of Covid-19 On Aviation-Wildlife Strikes Across Europe, Isabel C. Metz, Marta Giordano, Dionysios Ntampakis, Marianna Moira, Anneke Hamann, Rosanne Blijleven, Jürgen J. Ebert, Alessandro Montemaggiori

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions between aircraft and wildlife (i.e., wildlife strikes) pose a serious threat toward the safety of aircraft, its crew, and passengers. The effects of COVID-19 related travel restrictions on wildlife strikes are unknown. With this study, we aim to address this information gap by assessing the changes of wildlife hazard management performance across European airports during the lockdown period (e.g., period of reduced operations and borders closure in spring 2020). We also sought to raise awareness of the importance of wildlife strike prevention in times of reduced operations. The objective of our study was to compare wildlife strike data before …


Population Increases Of Large Birds In North America Pose Challenges For Aviation Safety, Richard A. Dolbeer Jan 2020

Population Increases Of Large Birds In North America Pose Challenges For Aviation Safety, Richard A. Dolbeer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

There is a strong correlation between bird mass and the likelihood of aircraft damage during a bird–aircraft collision. Thus, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established airworthiness standards related to bird mass for engines, airframes, and windshields. Most standards use large (1.8 kg) and medium (1.1 kg) birds as benchmarks (the empennage and certain large turbofan engines use a 3.6-kg bird). There are 20 large (≥1.8 kg) and 16 medium (1.1–1.7 kg) bird species in North America with ≥20 strikes reported for civil aircraft (FAA National Wildlife Strike Database), 1990 to 2018. I analyzed the population changes of these …


Strike Hazard Posed By Columbids To Military Aircraft, Melanie R. Colón, Ashley M. Long Jan 2018

Strike Hazard Posed By Columbids To Military Aircraft, Melanie R. Colón, Ashley M. Long

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife-aircraft strikes threaten both human and animal safety and result in hundreds of millions of dollars per year in aircraft damage and lost flight hours. Large-bodied birds are especially hazardous to aircraft. However, given high-speed flight at low altitudes, military aircraft may be especially vulnerable to strikes and more susceptible to damage even when encountering small birds. We summarized all wildlife-aircraft strike records from Randolph Air Force Base (San Antonio, Texas) over a 25-year period and compared the number and cost of strikes across avian species and species groups. Because columbids (i.e., pigeons and doves) are among the most frequently …


Large Birds Of Prey, Policies That Alter Food Availability And Air Traffic: A Risky Mix For Human Safety, Rubén Moreno-Opo, Antoni Margalida Dec 2017

Large Birds Of Prey, Policies That Alter Food Availability And Air Traffic: A Risky Mix For Human Safety, Rubén Moreno-Opo, Antoni Margalida

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Raptors are considered to pose one of the greatest aviation bird strike risk. We investigated raptor bird strikes reported at the largest Spanish airport (Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas; AS-MB) from 2009 to 2016 to determine the factors contributing to the increased incidences and develop recommendations to mitigate the risks. We hypothesized that increased raptor bird strikes resulted from changes in foraging and dispersal patterns of Iberian Peninsula vultures (Aegypius spp. and Gyps spp.) after 2004-2005. We used information on raptor bird strikes obtained from official databases and published studies, reported incidences of raptor bird strikes and their characteristics (i.e., …


Population Trends Of Resident And Migratory Canada Geese In Relation To Strikes With Civil Aircraft, Richard A. Dolbeer, John L. Seubert, Michael J. Begier Jan 2014

Population Trends Of Resident And Migratory Canada Geese In Relation To Strikes With Civil Aircraft, Richard A. Dolbeer, John L. Seubert, Michael J. Begier

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) are of particular concern to aviation in the USA because of their large size, flocking behavior, attraction to airports for grazing, and, for the resident population, year-round presence in urban environments. We documented trends in resident and migrant Canada goose populations in North America from 1970 to 2012, and for 1990 to 2012 examined these trends in relation to trends in reported civil aircraft collisions (strikes) with Canada geese. The overall Canada goose population increased 4.5 fold from 1.26 million in 1970 to 5.69 million in 2012. Most of this overall increase was due …


Beware The Boojum: Caveats And Strengths Of Avian Radar, Robert C. Beason, Tim J. Nohara, Peter Weber Jan 2013

Beware The Boojum: Caveats And Strengths Of Avian Radar, Robert C. Beason, Tim J. Nohara, Peter Weber

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Radar provides a useful and powerful tool to wildlife biologists and ornithologists. However, radar also has the potential for errors on a scale not previously possible. In this paper, we focus on the strengths and limitations of avian surveillance radars that use marine radar front-ends integrated with digital radar processors to provide 360° of coverage. Modern digital radar processors automatically extract target information, including such various target attributes as location, speed, heading, intensity, and radar cross-section (size) as functions of time. Such data can be stored indefinitely, providing a rich resource for ornithologists and wildlife managers. Interpreting these attributes in …


Using Radar Cross-Section To Enhance Situational Awareness Tools For Airport Avian Radars, Tim J. Nohara, Robert C. Beason, Peter Weber Jan 2011

Using Radar Cross-Section To Enhance Situational Awareness Tools For Airport Avian Radars, Tim J. Nohara, Robert C. Beason, Peter Weber

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Digital avian radars can track bird movements continuously in the vicinity of airports without interruption. The result is a wealth of bird-track data that can be used in mitigation efforts to reduce bird strikes on and near airfields. To make the sheer volume of bird track data generated by digital avian radars accessible to users, we developed tools to transform these data into analytical and visualization products to improve situational awareness for wildlife and airfield personnel. In addition to the parameters traditionally associated with radar tracking (latitude, longitude, altitude, speed, and heading), we have implemented a procedure to estimate the …


Bird Strikes And Aircraft Fuselage Color: A Correlational Study, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Jim Gaffney, Bradley F. Blackwell, Patrice Baumhardt Jan 2011

Bird Strikes And Aircraft Fuselage Color: A Correlational Study, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Jim Gaffney, Bradley F. Blackwell, Patrice Baumhardt

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions between birds and aircraft (bird strikes) pose safety risks to the public, cost airports and airlines money, and result in liability issues. Recent research suggests that aircraft visibility could be enhanced to increase detection and avoidance by birds. We questioned whether aircraft color scheme might play a role in bird-strike frequency. We used public records of bird strikes along with information on flights that were gathered by federal agencies in the United States. We estimated the bird-strike rates and compared them among airline companies using different fuselage color schemes, while controlling for aircraft type. Using an avian vision modeling …


Increasing Trend Of Damaging Bird Strikes With Aircraft Outside The Airport Boundary: Implications For Mitigation Measures, Richard A. Dolbeer Jan 2011

Increasing Trend Of Damaging Bird Strikes With Aircraft Outside The Airport Boundary: Implications For Mitigation Measures, Richard A. Dolbeer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

A basic tenet of programs to mitigate the risks of bird strikes with aircraft has been to focus management efforts at airports because various historical analyses of bird-strike data for civil aviation have indicated the majority of strikes occur in this environment during take-off and landing at (AGL). However, a trend analysis of birdstrike data involving commercial air carriers from the U.S. National Wildlife Strike Database for Civil Aviation, 1990 to 2009, indicates that this tenet should be revised. The percentage of all strikes that occurred at >500 feet AGL increased significantly from about 25% in 1990 to 30% in …


Using Whatman Fta® Cards To Collect Dna For Bird-Strike Identifications, Carla J. Dove, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Marcy A. Heacker, James F. Whatton Jan 2011

Using Whatman Fta® Cards To Collect Dna For Bird-Strike Identifications, Carla J. Dove, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Marcy A. Heacker, James F. Whatton

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Identification of species of birds is fundamental to implementation of all management and mitigation issues involving bird–aircraft collisions (bird strikes). Methods of identifying bird remains have recently been enhanced to include the use of molecular techniques but the degraded condition of the fi eld sample remains problematic. The Whatman FTA® card is a novel way to instantly fi x DNA and inhibit degradation of DNA samples post-collection. During 2008–2009, we analyzed >200 FTA cards containing tissue blots, body fluids, or blood samples from bird strikes to evaluate the performance of these cards in real-time situations. We analyzed the success of …


Forensic Bird-Strike Identification Techniques Used In An Accident Investigation At Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, 2008, Carla J. Dove, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Marcy Heacker Jan 2009

Forensic Bird-Strike Identification Techniques Used In An Accident Investigation At Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, 2008, Carla J. Dove, Nor Faridah Dahlan, Marcy Heacker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

On March 4, 2008, a Cessna Citation 1 (Model 500) crashed in a wooded area near Wiley Post Airport, Oklahoma, killing all 5 people on board. This paper describes the detailed forensic methods and expertise used by the Smithsonian Institution’s Feather Identification Lab to identify the bird that caused this bird-strike incident. We used standard methods of whole-feather analysis, microscopic examination, and DNA barcoding in this case to identify American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) as the bird species involved in this fatal crash. We also report the importance of proper field investigation and evidence collection for accurate results, …


Personal And Corporate Liability In The Aftermath Of Bird Strikes: A Costly Consideration, Larry A. Dale Jan 2009

Personal And Corporate Liability In The Aftermath Of Bird Strikes: A Costly Consideration, Larry A. Dale

Human–Wildlife Interactions

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.


Safety Management Systems: How Useful Will The Faa National Wildlife Strike Database Be?, Richard A. Dolbeer, Sandra E. Wright Jan 2009

Safety Management Systems: How Useful Will The Faa National Wildlife Strike Database Be?, Richard A. Dolbeer, Sandra E. Wright

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The National Wildlife Strike Database for Civil Aviation in the United States became operational in 1995 with the initiation of data entry of all strike reports beginning in 1990. The database contained 82,057 reported strikes from 1990 to 2007. About 9,800 of these strike reports noted damage to the aircraft, of which 2,700 indicated the damage was substantial. The database has proven to be a useful source of objective information on the extent and nature of wildlife strikes for personnel at individual airports and for researchers and regulatory agencies at the national level. With the impending requirement for airports in …


Management Of Bayberry In Relation To Tree-Swallow Strikes At John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, Glen E. Bernhardt, Zachary J. Patton, Lisa A. Kutschbach-Brohl, Richard A. Dolbeer Jan 2009

Management Of Bayberry In Relation To Tree-Swallow Strikes At John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, Glen E. Bernhardt, Zachary J. Patton, Lisa A. Kutschbach-Brohl, Richard A. Dolbeer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have been a periodic bird-strike problem at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFKIA), New York, New York, causing runway closures, flight delays, and damage to aircraft following the ingestion of bird flocks into engines. We examined 65 tree swallows collected at JFKIA in October 2001 to determine food sources that were attracting the birds to the airport. Digestive tracts of all 65 specimens contained northern bayberry fruits (Myrica pensylvanica), averaging 15.6 fruits per bird or 3.4% of the bird’s body mass in specimens where the entire tract was dissected. Bayberry fruits are …


From The Field Suspending Vulture Effigies From Roosts To Reduce Bird Strikes, Steven A. Ball Jan 2009

From The Field Suspending Vulture Effigies From Roosts To Reduce Bird Strikes, Steven A. Ball

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.


Developing Bird-Strike Risk Assessment Models For Open-Water Restorations, Justin D. Hart, Alison Colyer, John R. Allan Jan 2009

Developing Bird-Strike Risk Assessment Models For Open-Water Restorations, Justin D. Hart, Alison Colyer, John R. Allan

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Mineral extraction sites that are restored to open water can increase bird-strike risk if they are planned near airports. This can generate conflict between the minerals industry and safeguarding authorities. To help resolve this potential conflict, it would be useful to predict how new restorations affect local water-bird populations so that mineral deposits can be exploited and restored in safeguarded zones without compromising flight safety. Bird abundances and movements at new restorations can be estimated with statistical models that use the environmental characteristics of restoration schemes as predictor variables. These models can improve guidance in safeguarding, provided that they comprise …


Role Of Near-Miss Bird Strikes In Assessing Hazards, Matt W. Klope, Robert C. Beason, Timothy J. Nohara, Michael J. Beiger Jan 2009

Role Of Near-Miss Bird Strikes In Assessing Hazards, Matt W. Klope, Robert C. Beason, Timothy J. Nohara, Michael J. Beiger

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management of problem wildlife within the airfield environment is a difficult job. Today’s Bird–Animal Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) program managers require as much information as possible to accomplish their tasks. Bird censuses and actual bird-strike events in and around the air operations area are used to make airfield management decisions and to assess the risk of bird hazards to aircraft. Both types of information are sampled rather sparsely. Avian radar is now being used as a new tool to provide continuous sampling of bird activity that significantly supplements visual censuses. The measure of risk used today is commonly expressed as …


Comparison Of 2 Vegetation-Height Management Practices For Wildlife Control At Airports, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott C. Barras, Glen E. Bernhardt, Bradley F. Blackwell, Jonathon D. Cepek Jan 2007

Comparison Of 2 Vegetation-Height Management Practices For Wildlife Control At Airports, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott C. Barras, Glen E. Bernhardt, Bradley F. Blackwell, Jonathon D. Cepek

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Vegetation-height management is a potential method to reduce bird numbers at airports. Based on studies in Europe, researchers recommended vegetation heights around 25 cm; however, preliminary studies in the United States produced conflicting results regarding the effect of tall (18 to >25 cm) vegetation on bird numbers at airports. From 1999 to 2002, we compared birds and other wildlife use of 4 short-vegetation plots (mean maximum height of 15.6 cm ± 5.1 SE and visual obstruction reading of 4.6 ± 3.0 cm) and 4 tall-vegetation plots (mean maximum height of 26.9 ± 8.4 cm and visual obstruction reading of 10.0 …