Airport Bird Strikes: Species, Scale and the Case for Automated Management

Bird strikes are one of aviation's most persistent wildlife hazards. In the United States alone, the FAA recorded 22,372 reported wildlife strikes in 2024 — up 14% from 2023, with birds accounting for the vast majority of events. Australian data shows wildlife strikes account for roughly one-third of aviation occurrences reported to the ATSB each year. Most strikes do not result in injury or aircraft damage, but the risk is real: large-bodied birds, flocking species and birds attracted to airport grasslands, wetlands, waste streams and structures can cause serious engine, windscreen and airframe damage.

The species involved vary by region. Some are invasive or introduced pest birds, including starlings and feral pigeons; others are native birds such as raptors, gulls, waterfowl, lapwings and flying foxes. The practical issue for airports is not whether a bird is native or introduced, but whether it creates strike risk because of its size, numbers, flocking behaviour, flight path and attraction to airport habitat.

The numbers are significant. Globally, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) estimates that bird and wildlife strikes cost the aviation industry in excess of USD $1.2 billion per year in direct costs, including aircraft damage, flight delays, diversions, and emergency responses — a figure that has been widely cited for more than two decades and does not account for inflation or the growth in global air traffic.

Reported strike numbers should be treated as conservative. Reporting rates vary materially by jurisdiction and aircraft category. In the US, FAA analysis has estimated high reporting rates for commercial transport aircraft at Part 139 airports, but lower reporting in general aviation and incomplete cost and species reporting across other categories. The actual global strike rate may exceed 100,000 incidents per year.

FAA data indicates that wildlife strikes involving civil and military aircraft killed more than 643 people globally and destroyed over 360 aircraft from 1990 to 2024. Birds account for the majority of strike events, although the headline fatality figure covers wildlife strikes generally, not birds alone. The most widely known incident — the 2009 "Miracle on the Hudson" ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 — was caused by a double engine ingestion of Canada Geese shortly after takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport.

Not all birds pose equal risk. Strike hazard is determined by a combination of body mass, flocking behaviour, flight altitude, habitat overlap with airports, and population density near airfields. The species most frequently involved in damaging or dangerous strikes are those that have adapted to exploit the open grassland, water features, and food waste that airports provide. FAA data identifies waterfowl, raptors and gulls as the bird groups responsible for the most damaging strikes in US civil aviation.

Gulls are consistently among the top strike species globally. Large gulls — particularly the Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), and Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) — combine significant body mass (up to 1.5 kg) with a tendency to loaf in large numbers on runways, taxiways and aprons. Their attraction to landfill sites adjacent to many airports makes them a persistent management challenge. In the UK, gulls account for approximately 30% of all reported bird strikes at major airports.

The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is historically significant in aviation safety — not because of its individual mass (around 80 g) but because of its behaviour. Starlings form enormous, fast-moving murmurations of thousands to hundreds of thousands of birds that can appear without warning and engulf an aircraft during approach or departure. The 1960 Eastern Air Lines crash at Boston Logan — the deadliest bird strike in US history at the time — was caused by a starling ingestion that killed 62 people. However, current strike-risk rankings vary by region, and FAA data identifies waterfowl, raptors and gulls as the bird groups responsible for the most damaging strikes in modern US data. Starlings are an introduced species across North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and their populations around airports are largely uncontrolled.

Feral Pigeons (Columba livia domestica) and Wood Pigeons (Columba palumbus) are year-round residents at most urban and peri-urban airports. Pigeons are medium-mass birds (300–500 g) that tend to fly in tight flocks at low altitude — precisely the flight envelope of departing and arriving aircraft. Their roosting behaviour in airport infrastructure (hangars, terminal buildings, navigation equipment housings) compounds the hazard. In Australia, the Crested Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes) and Common Bronzewing (Phaps chalcoptera) are increasingly recorded in strike databases at regional airports.

Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) are the single most damaging bird species in North American aviation by total cost, with FAA data recording reported strike costs of approximately USD $189.8 million. A large Canada Goose can weigh up to 6.5 kg — sufficient to destroy a jet engine on ingestion. Their populations have expanded dramatically since the 1970s due to the proliferation of managed grass, retention ponds, and golf courses adjacent to airports. Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), at up to 12 kg, represent the highest individual mass risk of any commonly struck species. In Australia, the Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) and Australian Shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides) are recorded strike species at southern airports.

Hawks, falcons and eagles are less frequently struck than flocking species but cause disproportionate damage when strikes occur. Raptors are attracted to airports by the abundant prey — small birds, rodents and rabbits that colonise airfield grasslands. The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is the most commonly struck raptor in North America. In Australia, the Wedge-tailed Eagle (Aquila audax) — with a wingspan exceeding 2 metres — represents a significant hazard at regional airports in pastoral areas.

The Masked Lapwing (Vanellus miles) is one of the most frequently recorded strike species at Australian airports. Lapwings nest directly on open grassland — including runway buffer zones — and aggressively defend nesting territory, making them difficult to disperse. Their habit of running rather than flying when disturbed means they are frequently struck by ground vehicles as well as aircraft.

Airports are, by design, ideal bird habitat. Large expanses of managed short grass provide foraging ground for invertebrate feeders. Retention ponds and drainage channels attract waterfowl and waders. Perimeter fencing creates predator-free zones. Terminal buildings and hangars offer roosting and nesting sites. Food waste from catering operations attracts corvids, gulls and pigeons.

The problem is compounded by the fact that many airports are located on or adjacent to historically significant bird habitat — coastal wetlands, river floodplains, and agricultural land — that was already supporting large bird populations before the airport was built.

Most airports rely on a combination of hazing (acoustic deterrents, pyrotechnics, laser devices, trained falconry birds), habitat modification (grass height management, pond drainage, netting), and lethal control (shooting under permit). Habitat management is proactive and essential — UK CAA guidance treats it as central to reducing hazardous wildlife, not merely a temporary measure. The limitation is not that existing methods are useless; it is that many require trained personnel, repeated intervention and detailed compliance records. The FAA's Advisory Circular AC 150/5200-36B — Regulated Wildlife Hazard Management at Airports sets out the regulatory framework for wildlife hazard management plans at certificated airports in the United States.

Hazing habituates birds within days to weeks. Lethal control by shooting requires licensed personnel, is difficult to scale, and creates compliance and public relations challenges. Residual risk often requires active, ongoing control even where habitat management is well-executed.

Critically, none of these methods provide the species-level discrimination required to protect non-target birds — including native raptors, shorebirds and migratory species that may be present on or near airport land. FAA Advisory Circular AC 150/5200-36B identifies species-level identification as critical for airport wildlife risk management and airworthiness work.

The aviation industry's bird strike problem is fundamentally a wildlife population management problem. The species responsible for the most damaging strikes — including Starlings, Feral Pigeons, Gulls and Canada Geese — are overabundant, non-native or introduced in many of the jurisdictions where they cause the greatest harm. Managing their populations at and around airports, rather than simply dispersing them temporarily, is the approach most likely to produce lasting results.

Automated systems capable of AI-powered species identification, humane population management, and full compliance audit trails represent the next generation of airport wildlife management. By operating continuously, without requiring licensed personnel on-site for every event, and by providing tamper-proof records of every management action, they address the core limitations of current approaches.

For airport operators, the regulatory and reputational stakes are high. A single engine ingestion event can ground an aircraft for weeks and cost millions in repairs. The investment case for automated, species-specific pest bird management is straightforward — and the technology to deliver it is now within reach.

Avian Pest Control is developing the APC-N8 automated pest bird management system for deployment at airports, government facilities and commercial operations worldwide. Learn more about the APC-N8 or register your interest as a test partner.