Oklahoma Agriculture Blog

We have received numerous calls today from media and concerned citizens about the danger of bird strikes to commercial, private and military aviation. Our Wildlife Services division devotes a large amount of manpower, time and budget toward protecting the state’s aviation industry and military airbases.

Here are some interesting statistics they provided us this morning:

· Over 219 people have been killed world-wide as a result of bird strikes since 1988.
· Bird and other wildlife strikes cost USA civil aviation over $620 million/year, 1990-2007.
· Over 5,000 bird strikes were reported by the U.S. Air Force in 2007.
· Over 7,600 bird and other wildlife strikes were reported for USA civil aircraft in 2007.
· Studies indicate only about 20% of bird strikes to civil aircraft at Part 139-certificated (passenger service) airports in USA are reported. Less than 5% of bird strikes at General Aviation airports are reported.
· From 1990-2004, USA airlines reported 31 incidents in which pilots had to dump fuel to lighten load during a precautionary or emergency landing after striking birds on takeoff or climb. An average of 11,600 gallons of jet fuel was released in each of these dumps.
· Waterfowl (31%), gulls (26%), and raptors (18%) represented 75% of the reported bird strikes causing damage to USA civil aircraft, 1990-2007.
· Over 760 civil aircraft collisions with deer and 250 collisions with coyotes were reported in the USA, 1990-2007.
· In 1890, about 60 European starlings were released in Central Park, New York City. Starlings are now the second most abundant bird in North America with a late-summer population of over 150 million birds. Starlings are “feathered bullets”, having a body density 27% higher than herring gulls.
· The North American non-migratory Canada goose population increased 3.6 fold from 1 million birds in 1990 to over 3.5 million in 2007. Over 1,400 Canada geese strikes with civil aircraft have been reported in USA, 1990-2007. Over 40% of these strike events involved multiple birds.
· The North American population of greater snow geese increased from about 50,000 birds in 1966 to over 1,000,000 birds in 2007.
· The nesting population of bald eagles in the contiguous USA increased from fewer than 400 pairs in 1970 (2 years before DDT and similar chlorinated-hydrocarbon insecticides were banned) to over 11,000 pairs in 2007. Over 100 bald eagle strikes with civil aircraft have been reported in USA, 1990-2007. Mean body mass of bald eagles = 9.1 lbs (male); 11.8 lbs (female).
· The Great Lakes cormorant population increased from only about 200 nesting adults in 1970 to over 260,000 nesting adults in 2006, a 1,000+-fold increase.
· The North American white and brown pelican populations grew at average annual rates of 2.3% and 1.9%, respectively, 1966-2007.
· At least 15,000 gulls were counted nesting on roofs in USA cities on the Great Lakes during a survey in 1994.
· About 90% of all bird strikes in the U.S. are by species federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

ODAFF Wildlife Services personnel help airports and military bases reduce the danger from wildlife by modifying vegetation, reducing or eliminating water sources, and reducing wildlife populations–normally employing non-lethal methods.