Exploiting avian vision with aircraft lighting to reduce bird strikes

Abstract

Summary1. Bird-aircraft collisions (bird strikes) represent a substantial safety concern and financial burden to civil aviation world-wide. Despite an increase in the rate of damaging bird strikes, necessary steps to develop a mitigation method outside of the airport environment have not been empirically tested. 2.We assessed whether use of aircraft lighting might enhance detection of and reaction to the approach of an aircraft in flight by Canada geese Branta canadensis Linnaeus, a species responsible for a high rate of damaging bird strikes. We used a novel approach by estimating the visibility to the goose visual system of a standard radio-controlled (RC) aircraft (standard aircraft) exhibiting either a 2-Hz alternating pulse of two lights, or lights off; and another RC aircraft designed to mimic a raptor (predator model). We then exposed wing-clipped Canada geese to the approach of each aircraft and quantified behavioural responses to respective treatments. 3. Estimates of chromatic and achromatic contrasts indicated that the standard aircraft with lights on was more salient to the visual system of the Canada goose than with lights off or the predator model. 4. At individual and group levels, quicker alert responses were observed to the standard aircraft with lights compared with the lights off and predator model. Goose groups showed similar responses to approaches by the standard aircraft and the predator model, suggesting use of antipredator behaviour to avoid the aircraft. 5. Synthesis and applications. Understanding animal sensory ecology and associated behaviours can aid the development of methods exploiting certain behaviours to reduce negative humanwildlife interactions. For example, reducing the frequency of bird strikes requires the integration of wildlife management efforts within and outside of the airport environment that target species resource use and response to disturbance, with mitigation techniques focused on the aircraft. Moreover, the design of aircraft lighting systems to enhance detection and avoidance by birds is contingent upon understanding avian visual ecology and behaviour. Based on spectral sensitivity in Canada geese, aircraft-mounted lights that peak in the ultraviolet ⁄ violet range (380-400 nm) are likely to produce the maximal behavioural effect.

Speed kills: ineffective avian escape responses to oncoming vehicles

“…bird-aircraft collisions, some highways). In the latter scenario, it is conceivable that by enhancing detection of an approaching vehicle, avoidance behaviours could be initiated sooner [28,48,49]. For example, the activation of pulsating lights on aircraft could lengthen AD [49], possibly leading to an increase in FID and thus an enhanced probability of survival during encounters with vehicles.…”

“…Irrespective of the mechanism employed, our findings provide a framework and methodological approach to further investigate how different management strategies (e.g. lights on vehicles, vehicle coloration; [49,50]) affect the sensory and behavioural abilities of animals to assess risk and initiate escape in time to avoid collisions with modern vehicles. Data accessibility.…”

Visual cues for woodpeckers: light reflectance of decayed wood varies by decay fungus

“…The UVS system is found in the Paleognathae, Passeriformes (Passerida only, not Tyrannida or Corvida), Psittaciformes, and Laridae, with all other diurnal species currently presumed to have a VS system (Ödeen et al 2011). Behavioral studies with VS species have shown that regardless of the SWS1 k max , UV sensitivity may extend to at least 360 nm (Parrish et al 1981(Parrish et al , 1984Blackwell et al 2012).…”

Do birds in flight respond to (ultra)violet lighting?

“…It will therefore be important to take into account avian visual ecology when designing mitigation measures (Martin 2011). Blackwell and Bernhardt (2004) and Blackwell et al (2009Blackwell et al ( , 2012 empirically showed that birds' visual systems (visual acuity and visual fields) enable them to respond behaviourally to lighting regimes (no, constant or pulsating lights) in approaching objects (aircraft and vehicle). Birds have tetrachromatic colour vision and spectral sensitivities of photoreceptors between 320 and 700 nm (Osorio and Vorobyev 2008).…”