Striking Developments

In discussing bird strike trends, this article reports on technological developments that are providing airports with unparalleled intelligence. A new wildlife management tool has been developed that uses bird DNA to identify the specific bird species involved in an aircraft strike. The Feather Identification Laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution developed the bird DNA library through collaboration with the University of Guelph (Canada) and a $500,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The project has mapped the DNA for 96% of bird species in the U.S. and Canada. The article describes in detail the steps taken to develop the bird DNA library. Also discussed isthe interagency agreement between FAA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Wildlife Services to develop the National Wildlife Strike Database. Begun in 1995, the database holds 72,000 strike records involving civil aircraft. In 1999, strike information migrated to the Internet via the Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Web site, developed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott, AZ) with the help of an FAA grant. The site allows airline industry users to retrieve their entire strike history. While the information found in these database and online tools offer a rich resource to airlines and airports, the author notes that airports only report a small percentage of wildlife strikes, representing between 11% and 21% of reported cases found in the database. While airport-reported strike cases are small, the author notes they are steadily growing as airport operators begin to realize that such reporting can benefit them. And being able to identify the bird species involved in such strikes can enable airports to take corrective action, such as finding nesting areas and removing the birds’ habitat. In addition, the article notes some promising new technologies that can also help airports in their mitigation efforts. Some of these include developing bird-detecting radar and equipping aircraft with ultraviolet lights that emit both ultraviolet and visible frequencies to make aircraft more visible. The deployment of unpalatable grasses (entophytic fescue grasses) is another mitigation effort discussed. These grasses contain a fungus that gives off a bad taste, making them unappealing to geese, ducks and other grass-feeding birds.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07445326
• Authors:
  • Cook, Barbara
• Publication Date: 2007-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Photos;
• Pagination: pp 30-36
• Serial:
  • Airport Magazine
  • Volume: 19
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: AAAE Service Corporation, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 0744-5326

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation crashes; Aircraft; Airlines; Airports; Bird strikes; Birds; Databases; Detection and identification; Habitat; Hazard mitigation; Research; Technological innovations; Ultraviolet light; Wildlife
• Identifier Terms: Smithsonian Institution; U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
• Uncontrolled Terms: DNA analysis
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Environment; Research; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01076915
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 25 2007 12:28PM