|
" Sunshine, Beaches, and Birds: Managing Raptor-Aircraft Collisions at Airports in Southern California "
Biteman, Daniel S.; Collins, Derek T.; Washburn, Brian E.
| Document Type
|
:
|
AL
|
| Record Number
|
:
|
944086
|
| Doc. No
|
:
|
LA4td703c9
|
| Language of Document
|
:
|
English
|
| Main Entry
|
:
|
Biteman, Daniel S.; Collins, Derek T.; Washburn, Brian E.
|
| Title & Author
|
:
|
Sunshine, Beaches, and Birds: Managing Raptor-Aircraft Collisions at Airports in Southern California [Article]\ Biteman, Daniel S.; Collins, Derek T.; Washburn, Brian E.
|
| Title of Periodical
|
:
|
Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference
|
| Volume/ Issue Number
|
:
|
28
|
| Date
|
:
|
2018
|
| Abstract
|
:
|
Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Raptors (i.e., hawks and owls) are one of the most frequently struck guilds of birds within North America. Integrated wildlife damage management programs combine a variety of non-lethal and lethal management tools to reduce presence of raptors on airports. Live-capture and translocation away from an airport is a commonly used non-lethal method to reduce the risk of raptor-aircraft collisions. In southern California, USDA Wildlife Services airport biologists live-captured, marked with auxiliary markers (i.e., airport program-specific plastic leg band), and translocated approximately 1,232 raptors from seven airports and military bases located within the highly urbanized environment of the Los Angeles Basin during January of 2010-December of 2016. Ten different raptor species were marked and relocated during this effort. The composition of translocated raptors was red-tailed hawks (38.9%), Cooper’s hawks (27.5%), American kestrels (20.7%), barn owls (7.4%), and great horned owls (3.7%). Overall, the percentage of translocated raptors that returned to an airport was 11.1%. 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 in southern California will be an important component of future wildlife management programs.
|
| |