| Other defra.gov.uk sites
 

Further information

Further information about our Bird Management Team and the services they can offer can be found within the Wildlife section of our website:

Bird management

Team role

Our Bird Management team provides advice, underpinned by high-quality evidence gathering and research, to the aviation industry concerning the prevention of collisions between birds and aircraft. These collisions (birdstrikes) cost the world civil aviation industry around $1.2 billion per year and have resulted in the loss of 88 aircraft and 243 lives. Airports are required by national and international regulations to deter hazardous birds from their property.

The birdstrike risk-assessment techniques developed by our team, in collaboration with British Airports Authority (BAA), are now used as a standard by the International Birdstrike Committee and Airports Council International (the world body for airport operators).

We operate the UK's only mobile bird-detection radar, and a growing proportion of our work involves using this technology to provide bird monitoring, collision-risk modelling and population viability analyses to the wind-farm industry. Our experience in monitoring and evaluating medium-scale population processes in birds is also used in developing management strategies for nuisance bird species, such as gulls and Canada Geese.

Activities

Our services to the aviation industry support the national and international regulators in preventing birdstrikes, and include:

  • Aerodrome bird control
  • Aerodrome safeguarding
  • Specialist bird-management projects
  • Bird distribution modelling
  • Bird remains identification
  • Bird impact research

We continue to develop cutting-edge techniques for monitoring and analysing bird behaviour. We are also committed to developing new methods for analysing and presenting spatial data over time to ensure that we retain our lead in the field.

Our radar services are expanding into new areas, such as monitoring birds on landfill sites and tackling urban gull problems.

Achievements

  • Development of radar-based monitoring and other novel methods to assess bird movements in relation to air safety, land-use planning and the consequences of new wind-farm developments
  • Development and adoption of international standards based on our work
  • Our recommendations for landfill bird control are now used as standard by the Environment Agency for licensing sites to reduce bird hazard and nuisance

Recent publications

Baxter A T, Robinson A, Walls R, Cropper P: Aeronautical studies to determine the spatial movements of hazardous birds. International Birdstrike Committee IBSC27, Athens, 23-27 May 2005.

Fidgen H, Robinson A P, Baxter A T: Do birds respond to Infrasound? A study of low-frequency sound as a bird-deterring technology. International Birdstrike Committee IBSC27, Athens, 23-27 May 2005.

Nicholls D, Bell, J: An assessment of birdstrike risk at national level. International Birdstrike Committee IBSC27, Athens, 23-27 May 2005.

Robinson A P: Modelling the birdstrike risk from hazardous birds attracted to restored mineral sites. International Birdstrike Committee IBSC27, Athens, 23-27 May 2005.

Walls R W: Monitoring avian movement using bird detection radar; impacts of nocturnal movement on flight safety at a Military Aerodrome. International Bird Strike Committee IBSC27, Athens, 23-27 May 2005.

Hart J: Environmental impact assessments of overhead transmission lines in relation to bird mortality: A review. Report to Scottish Natural Heritage, 2005.