Naples2026 — Wildlife Strike International Conference

The Bird Strike Committee Italy (BSCI), established in 1987 and currently embedded as an operational working group within ENAC — Italy's Civil Aviation Authority — holds the institutional mandate for wildlife strike prevention and data management across all 44 certified Italian aerodromes. Its responsibilities span regulatory oversight, mandatory occurrence reporting, risk assessment validation, training, land-use coordination and international engagement. Italy has maintained an uninterrupted national wildlife strike data series since 2002. Over 23 years, recorded events have increased from 348 in 2002 to 2,618 in 2024 — a 7.5-fold rise — while air traffic grew by 42% over the same period. This asymmetry indicates that the growth in strike risk outpaces traffic volume alone, driven in part by expanding wildlife populations and improved reporting coverage. High-consequence events — including effect on flight, engine ingestion, multiple strikes and aircraft damage — show consistent absolute increases, with effect-on-flight events rising from 57 in 2022 to 138 in 2024, doubling their share of total events. Over 26,000 strike records have been transmitted to ICAO since 2006. The Italian reporting system has evolved from the national eE-MOR platform, operational from 2017, to full integration with the EASA-wide ECCAIRS2 system, completed in 2021. Since 2024, BSCI systematically feeds individual airport data back to each operator, transforming a compliance obligation into an operational intelligence tool. Key strategic initiatives currently underway include: the Italian Bird Identification Centre (IBIC), a forensic laboratory established in 2025 through an agreement between ENAC and the University of Turin, targeting a reduction of the current >50% unidentified species rate; an interactive web portal for aviation users, providing species, attractant and mitigation data for all certified aerodromes; a revision of the Birdstrike Risk Index (BRI2) algorithm; and a new formal regulation replacing Circular APT 01B, incorporating updated ECCAIRS2 reporting procedures and current ICAO Annex 14 and Reg. (EU) 2018/1139 requirements. BSCI's experience demonstrates that sustained, multi-mandate coordination — integrating data quality, regulatory enforcement, forensic identification and international collaboration — is essential to managing a risk that continues to grow in scale and complexity.

Long-term, multi-airport wildlife strike datasets are rare. Italy's national monitoring programme, active since 2006, now encompasses 26,147 strike events recorded at 41 certified airports over 18 years (2006–2024), with species-level presence counts integrated alongside strike records. Mandatory reporting through ECCAIRS2, strike rates normalised per 10,000 aircraft movements, and systematic presence monitoring combine to provide a uniquely robust basis for detecting faunal change with direct implications for aviation safety. Comparing strike rates across two five-year windows (2006–2010 vs. 2020–2024) reveals substantial shifts in the hazard profile. Larus michahellis and Bubulcus ibis show rate increases of +2,080% and +1,463% respectively, reflecting ongoing range expansion and population recovery. Buteo buteo (+958%) and Corvus cornix (+402%) follow similar trajectories. Conversely, Sturnus vulgaris — historically the most feared species at European airports — remains a minor contributor, consistent with a well-documented decline in European breeding populations since 1980. The colonisation dynamics of Bubulcus ibis are particularly striking: absent from Italian airport records in 2006, this species reached 185,000 individuals counted in 2024, with presence and strike frequency tightly correlated — confirming systemic hazard status. Lepus europaeus represents an underreported mammalian risk, with 877 events and a strike rate that has tripled since 2006, concentrated at Po Valley airports. For Larus michahellis, a key divergence emerges: while local presence counts fluctuate with no consistent national trend, the national strike rate has nearly doubled over 15 years — demonstrating that local abundance is not a reliable proxy for system-level risk. Sustained, multi-airport monitoring programmes generate information that short-term or single-site studies cannot provide. Wildlife strike databases, when maintained consistently over time, become de facto biodiversity monitoring tools — and the ecological patterns they reveal have a habit of surprising even experienced practitioners.

The French Civil Aviation Technical Centre (STAC) has been working for more than thirty years on the development of Pica (Programme d’Information sur les Collisions Animalières), a software which enables the management and querying of the French wildlife strikes database. This tool assists aerodrome operators in their wildlife risk assessment.

The STAC publishes a yearly bulletin based on the wildlife strikes data archived in Pica. The statistics presented in the bulletin reveal trends that will assist aerodrome operators in identifying hazardous species and determining at which times of year wildlife control is most needed.

This presentation shows the recent developments of Pica and the results of the 2025 statistical bulletin.

ICAO job card ADOP.015.03 formalized two related, but separate initiatives on 2 February 2021 to: 1) update the ICAO Bird Strike Information System (IBIS) manual Doc 9332 (3rd edition published 1989) and 2) allow international strike data sharing from IBIS. Advancements in data collection and reporting technologies as well as the recent publication of ICAO’s Airport Services Manual Part 3, (5th edition 2020) necessitated that guidance within Doc 9332 be updated and more comprehensive.

In the newly updated IBIS manual, the Wildlife Hazard Management Expert Group (WHMEG) provided much needed clarifications concerning the “why” behind the reporting of wildlife / aircraft strikes as well as the who, what, when, where and how. These clarifications also included what should be reported as a strike, how to safely collect strike evidence, strike remains identification, what analyses are beneficial and how best to conduct those analyses of strike data. Additional guidance within the updated IBIS manual included data validation (e.g., quality control / assurance) of a State’s strike database, the benefits and restrictions between paper and electronic formats, data presentation, publishing a State’s report on strike summaries and the submission of strike data to IBIS.

For IBIS to fulfil its purpose to contribute to aviation safety through meaningful analysis of wildlife strike data, it relies on the commitment of all stakeholders (involved in the process of reporting, collecting and forwarding data to the State) so that it can then be submitted to ICAO. Ultimately, the new, comprehensive guidance within Doc 9332 should result in an increase in States reporting and total strikes submitted to ICAO as well as a higher degree of quality strike reports.

Combining the completed initiative that modernized guidance within the IBIS manual with the initiative allowing data access of strikes submitted into IBIS represents the ideal path for States to fully benefit from improved strike reporting. Unfortunately, missing data is a recognized issue involving international strikes; the information is difficult to obtain because those incidents remain underreported to the air carrier / cargo aircraft country of origin and/or the country of destination. Ideally, States would share all of their strike data to best implement their wildlife safety programs and enhance not only risk mitigation, but resource and financial allocation, program evaluation and even compliance.

Wildlife strikes remain a persistent threat to aviation safety worldwide, requiring reliable methods to identify hazardous species and support mitigation strategies. International guidance, such as ICAO Doc 9137, emphasizes the need to account for temporal variability in wildlife activity, while allowing flexibility in sampling design. In Brazil, however, current regulations mandate a prescriptive approach based on monthly wildlife surveys conducted over a full annual cycle to support Wildlife Hazard Identification (IPF). Although robust, this model can be resource-intensive and operationally challenging, particularly for smaller or under-resourced aerodromes. This study evaluates whether seasonal sampling – structured as four intensive survey campaigns distributed across the four seasons of the year and designed to match the sampling effort of the monthly protocol within comparable periods – can provide equivalent results for wildlife hazard identification. Field surveys were conducted in two independent operational sectors of the Brazilian Air Force Academy (AFA), treated as distinct sampling units. Species were recorded and assessed using the national wildlife risk matrix, with emphasis on identifying problem species and their associated risk levels under both monthly and seasonal sampling protocols. The results demonstrated strong agreement between the two approaches in both sectors. Seasonal sampling consistently identified the same problem species and produced equivalent risk classifications when compared to the monthly protocol. No significant differences were observed in the prioritization of hazardous species for management purposes. These findings suggest that, while the Brazilian regulatory framework ensures comprehensive temporal coverage, equivalent analytical outcomes may be achieved through strategically distributed seasonal surveys. This approach aligns with the ICAO principle of representativeness while offering greater operational flexibility. Seasonal sampling therefore represents a viable, cost-effective alternative for wildlife hazard identification, supporting both aviation safety and wildlife management, especially in contexts with limited resources.

In an accident investigation, there are many reasons different types of investigators get involved in the process related to international standards, domestic regulations, and industry practices. Recently, there have been several high-profile accidents that have been associated with wildlife strikes such as the Boeing 737 accident in South Korea, a Boeing 767 Accident in Newark, New Jersey, USA, and an Airbus A330 accident that occurred in Covington, Kentucky, USA. These cases will be reviewed as case studies during the presentation from an investigator’s viewpoint. Furthermore, the investigative teams face many challenges during an accident investigation including international challenges, enforcement challenges, and environmental challenges, which will be covered in the presentation, as well. Overall, the purpose of the investigation is to figure out what happened in order to prevent similar events from occurring again. Within the United States, aviation accident investigation is mainly to provide a safer environment in the National Airspace System, which is not intended to use investigative findings for enforcement actions, which in turn reinforces negative safety consequences. In this presentation, one case study will review the post-accident findings and negative safety actions that occurred associated with the wildlife mitigation at the airport. Overall, it is important for every aspect of the aviation community to share industry knowledge learned from accident investigation to improve safety around the world.

When considering wildlife hazards, a pilot faces the challenge of combining ideas and data from multiple sources to form a unified picture of wildlife strike risk. At times, pilots have difficulty processing the risk of a wildlife strike due to a lack of clear information for pre-flight planning and inflight operations.

This presentation considers these challenges from a pilot’s perspective using three case studies.

CEN18FA033 – On November 19, 2017, at 1855 local time at Stuttgart Arkansas, a Bell 407 helicopter, operating as an air ambulance flight was enroute to pick up a patient. The company’s satellite tracking was lost at about 1,250 ft MSL. Multiple snow geese remains were found in the wreckage.

DCA23WA302 – On March 5, 2023, at 1305 local time in Havana, Cuba, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 struck at least 2 turkey vultures at about 800 ft AGL. The radome was damaged and the No. 2 engine ingested a bird, resulting in an engine fire resulting in smoke filling the cabin.

DCA24LA330 – On December 20, 2023, at 1414 local time in Kenner, Louisiana, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 on initial climb struck and ingested a bald eagle into the No. 1 (left) engine, resulting in damage to the left engine fan blades and a partial loss of engine power. The flight deck began to fill with acrid white smoke.

Using these cases and the FAR bird strike certification standards, this presentation highlights more work, and collaboration could be beneficial to pilots in the future.

Alaska Airlines has worked with the FAA teams to develop a process where Pilot SMS wildlife strike reports automatically submit the FAA wildlife strike database forms - allowing the FAA and the airport wildlife teams to have real time strike information that includes critical pieces of information such as phase of flight, altitude, and distance from airport. This presentation will show updates on this initiative and delve into whether it has been beneficial to wildlife management. Additionally, we will spend a short time updating on projects ongoing with the Bird strike USA Research and Development Standing Committee - most notably discussing pulsing landing lights on aircraft as a wildlife mitigation.

Every aeronautical accident or incident provides safety lessons that should be identified and disseminated promptly in order to prevent recurrence. For this reason, it is essential that safety investigations are completed within a reasonable timeframe and that the resulting reports contain clear findings, appropriate safety recommendations, and are widely disseminated. In this way, they can effectively contribute to the the collective body of knowledge and operational experience of pilots, air traffic controllers, airport operators, regulators and aviation managers. Based on the analysis of 70 final investigation reports relating to wildlife strike accidents and incidents worldwide, this presentation seeks to demonstrate that this objective is not achieved, or only partially achieved. It further examines possible reasons for this shortcoming and proposes measures aimed at raising awareness and enhancing the effectiveness of safety information dissemination.

Our presentation extends on the seminal work of John Thorpe, U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (retired), John Richardson of LGL Limited in Canada, and his colleague Tim West. These authors published a series of papers from 1994-2012 at meetings of Bird Strike Committee Europe (BSCE) and the International Bird Strike Committee (IBSC) documenting fatalities and destroyed aircraft due to civil (Thorpe) and military (Richardson and West) bird strikes worldwide. Our objective has been to make this published information, combined with our supplemental data on terrestrial wildlife strikes and more recent strike events, publicly available in a standardized database. The availability of this database benefits aviation safety in various ways. First, it allows serious wildlife strike incidents to be analyzed objectively including the types of aircraft and wildlife species involved, phases of flight, time of year and day, and height above ground level. Second, with over 100 years of data, it allows analyses of temporal and spatial trends in serious strikes. Third, it helps educate the general public and news media about the problem of wildlife strikes and aviation. Finally, it allows the worldwide aviation community to examine the data in a standardized format to provide supplemental or corrective information and to add undocumented strike events. This presentation follows our last update in Minnesota, USA in 2024. The database currently documents over 1,000 human fatalities and nearly 800 military and civil aircraft destroyed in 97 countries since 1912. Over 100 species of wildlife were involved in these incidents.

Globally, airports are expanding to meet increased demand for air travel and with those expansions comes changes to areas surrounding airports. Due to the dynamic nature of airports and surrounding areas, it is more important than ever to monitor and assess wildlife hazards in areas surrounding aerodromes to safeguard airports to protect airspace to ensure safe aviation operations.

Australia is opening a large international airport for the first time in 50 years in New South Wales, Australia, which will include the creation of a new city for the first time in 100 years. The city’s development includes creation of a regional stormwater management system which includes a series of current and new ponds, basins, and wetlands in the region which could alter the region’s wildlife attraction and increase wildlife strike risk at the new aerodrome.

To reduce potential wildlife hazards associated with the waterbodies and associated infrastructure in the region, Avisure developed a regional Bird and Bat Adaptive Management, Monitoring, and Mitigation Strategy; a first for Australia.

Using the Bird and Bat Adaptive Management, Monitoring, and Mitigation Strategy as an example, Avisure will discuss the importance of monitoring and managing off-airport wildlife hazards, including engaging stakeholders in assessing developments in the early stages of a development application to assess and mitigate wildlife strike risk.

Key topics will include:

- Legislative requirements for monitoring off-airport wildlife hazards in Australia. - Australian wildlife strike trends and local wildlife hazards. - Lessons learnt associated with the Bird and Bat Adaptive Management, Monitoring and Mitigation Strategy. - Engaging with off-airport stakeholders in monitoring and managing wildlife hazards.

Avian radar systems can continuously scan the sky around an airfield to track birds and bats flying in the area. Not only can these tracks provide a live overview of bird movements for risk assessment and early warnings, but the recorded data can also provide valuable insights that can be used to inform long term planning and mitigation measures. With an increasing pressure to improve our ability to mitigate and forecast wildlife strikes, radar has been adopted by many airports globally in the last decades. We take a look at what an avian radar is and what it can (and can’t) deliver, with several use cases from airports all around the world. Due to different environments and regulations, every airport requires a unique solution and expertise. Several of these airports collaborate with universities or knowledge institutes that can leverage the large amount of data gathered by avian radars and create invaluable insights into local bird activity. Although avian radars provide an impressive overview of bird activity in the area, it is not the only solution to wildlife collision prevention. We therefore also look at how this tool integrates into more traditional prevention methods to add value to airport operations. Additionally, we discuss future possibilities, such as the integration with other sensors, like camera, and deterrence measures, such as air cannons, and the possibility to network radar systems to provide regional and national coverage for more robust early warning systems.

The use of new technologies to support scientific monitoring is one of the most stimulating and evolving topics in modern science. A key challenge is developing systems capable of monitoring birds with greater accuracy and efficiency. BCMS® VENTUR is an innovative system that combines artificial intelligence, ultra-high-definition cameras and a priori scientific information to detect the presence of birds - both in flight and on the ground, individually or in flocks. It can count individuals, identify species, locate them in 3D space, track their direction, and predict their movements. These features make it a valuable tool for ecological monitoring and for mitigating birdstrike risks at airports and vertiports, as well as reducing collisions with wind turbines in wind farms. The analysis of data extrapolated from installations currently active around the world: Italy, Canada, United States, Germany, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh, including airports, wind farms and natural parks, show an average true positive above 90%, and a species classification accuracy also above 85%. This innovative technology allows continuous monitoring of wide areas, in all weather conditions and without time limitations. The presence of trained personnel ensures data reliability and its correct application for specific scientific or safety purposes. The analysis of collected data highlights the effectiveness of AI-based systems in supporting ornithological studies and impact mitigation. It also offers a valuable comparison with existing technologies such as radar, underlining the added value of artificial intelligence in ecological monitoring.

The identification of animal species, mainly birds, involved in collisions with aircraft within airport areas or in their immediate surroundings is now recognized as one of the key elements for carrying out effective prevention and mitigation actions. In fact, considering the high number of bird species present in Italy and their ecological complexity and feeding habits, identifying only a general category (such as duck, pigeon, or hawk) rather than the exact species does not provide sufficient information to implement appropriate preventive measures. Starting from July 2025, the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Torino began a collaboration with ENAC aimed at identifying all wildlife strikes involving civil aircraft across Italy, within the framework of the Italian Birdstrike Identification Center (I.B.I.C.). The identifications are carried out using an integrated approach that includes morphological analysis of remains (when available), genetic analysis (DNA barcoding), and, in specific cases, microscopic analysis of feather fragments. Morphological comparisons are performed using specimens preserved in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Carmagnola and the Department of Earth Sciences of Torino, while genetic analyses are conducted in the laboratories of the Department for Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition at the University of Piemonte Orientale (Vercelli). Genetic identification uses reference libraries from published datasets and sequences from Carmagnola Museum specimens and university blood collections, all constructed and validated by the same university. The samples analyzed are stored at the Department of Earth Sciences for at least five years, allowing for re-analysis in case of doubts or the need for further investigation. Similarly, comparing wildlife strike samples with specimens preserved in museum collections ensures the repeatability of the analysis, as all steps of the identification process are recorded. Sample collection kits were distributed between late December 2025 and early January 2026, and the first samples have already started to arrive, with initial results now available. A meeting with airport operators was also organized to review the current situation and highlight the issues that have emerged so far.

Wildlife and vegetation management at airfields is critical for aviation safety. Collisions involving birds are especially problematic, particularly the occurrence of bird jet engine ingestion which may cause engine failure and loss of aircraft control. Maintenance of grasslands at heights sufficient to deny feeding opportunities to foraging birds is a typical and generally effective deterrent. In turn, to prevent attraction of many insect species palatable to insectivorous or omnivorous birds, grassland management requires regular mowing and removal to prevent the buildup of dead grass. Following inadvertent alteration of grassland management, we describe the association between airfield grassland deterioration and increased Orchid beetle (Dascillus cervinus) abundance. Orchid beetles occur for most of the year as larvae in the soil where they feed on decaying organic matter and emerge as flying adults in the month of June. The reported large-scale emergence of beetles at an Irish military aerodrome in turn underpinned greater visitation by foraging Larus gulls whose presence in larger than typically expected abundances resulted in an air safety hazard and the need for increased bird scaring actions. Emergence traps were used to track the decreasing abundance of orchid beetles over three years following the return of grasslands to appropriate management. Simultaneous routine daily counts of airfield bird abundances and number of scaring actions taken against Larus species, reveal a corresponding reduction in visitation by Larus gulls and, consequently, a reduction in air safety risk. Our case study offers unique insight concerning the importance of efficient airfield grassland management, highlighting also the destabilising effect that increased airfield insect abundance can have on air safety. Overall, it is concluded that efficient removal of mown grass cuttings is an integral component of effective airfield grassland management.

Wildlife hazard management has received considerable attention from the authorities of Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport. Nevertheless, knowledge gaps still hinder the implementation of fully optimised and effective management strategies. One such gap concerns bird activity concealed by the darkness of night. Approximately 10% of all wildlife strikes occur during nocturnal operations, with the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) being the most relevant species; however, the species involved remain unidentified in 69% of night-time collisions.

To improve knowledge of nocturnal bird activity within the airfield, a monitoring programme based on passive acoustic recording stations was implemented. Three autonomous recorders distributed across the manoeuvring area captured more than two million bird calls and songs during 6,382 recording hours between April 2024 and April 2025.

Recordings were subsequently filtered to exclude local resident species that do not pose a risk to air operations, mainly small passerines associated with surrounding vegetation, such as nightingales and warblers. A total of 120,000 detections belonging to 66 bird species were analysed. The phenology of the main species, their temporal distribution throughout the night and their spatial occurrence patterns within the airport environment are presented.

We conclude that passive acoustic monitoring is an effective method for improving knowledge of nocturnal bird presence over airfields. This approach has made it possible to generate the first comprehensive dataset on night-time bird activity over the flight area at the airport. The results reveal clear interspecific differences in spatial and temporal movement patterns, providing valuable information to support aviation safety and ecologically informed wildlife risk management.

The risk of avian collisions constitutes a permanent challenge for aviation safety worldwide. In France, data analysed from the Service Technique de l’Aviation Civile (STAC) highlights a precise biological reality : only a minority of species are implicated in collisions of importance, causing damage to or affecting flights. This safety risk is part of a critical ecological context. Whilst the data from the Suivi Temporal des Oiseaux Communs (STOC) confirms a massive decline in continental avifauna, airport platforms, in contrast, appear to be major refuge zones. Owing to the vast expanses of green spaces, protected from the pressures of urbanisation and intensive agriculture, these areas host a biological diversity which has become rare in humanized landscapes. Since 2015, Aéro biodiversité has worked alongside the aviation network documenting the rich biodiversity and optimizing flight safety. An overview of ten years of interventions at more than 130 airport platforms enabled the collection 140 000 data samples, revealing the presence of 4000 species of plants, 24 species of bats et 413 species of birds. This unique database allows an overlapping analysis of biological inventories and collision statistics, in order to identify actual species posing a real risk of collision amongst the airport avifauna community . The example of the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) illustrates this dual approach : despite being implicated in 65 % of raptor collisions, the conservation status « Near Threatened » in France requires an informed and finely tuned management plan. By adapting management plans, notably modifying the height of mowed areas, it is possible to reduce the attractiveness of critical safety zones for high risk species, without degrading the functionality of the airport as a biological reservoir. This clearly shows that airport safety and biodiversity preservation are not opposing factors, rather they must be treated jointly. The partnership established over a decade between ecologists and airport platform managers lays the foundation for a more predictive and ecologically based management of avian collision risk, offering a durable and transposable model at an international level.

Accurate recording and reporting of wildlife strikes constitute the foundation of an effective airport’s Wildlife Hazard Management Program. However, a substantial proportion of wildlife strikes remains unreported by flight crews either because the collision was not perceived or due to other factors such as inadequate training or lack of awareness. We analyzed a 9-year dataset (2017-2025) comprising of 2.226 wildlife strikes across 12 Greek regional airports operated by Fraport Greece. Overall, 43,6% of incidents were not reported by flight crews, exhibiting a non-uniform distribution across the airports network. To quantify the operational impact of this reporting gap, we conducted a comparative risk assessment for each aerodrome utilizing the Allan (2006) methodology by comparing: (a) the total number of strikes including wildlife strike remains not reported by flight crews and (b) the number of wildlife strikes reported by flight crews. We investigated possible variances between the resulting risk matrices that could lead to different wildlife hazard management approaches and decisions. Statistically significant differences between the number of incidents of the two approaches were identified and are discussed for all 12 airports. With the application of a custom-made Hazard Escalation Index (HEI), we ranked airports based on their responsiveness to these data variations. Potential associations with certain local aerodrome characteristics were explored, revealing a positive correlation between the HEI and flight traffic data, as well as between the HEI and the volume of strikes not reported by flight crews. Furthermore, airport avian diversity appears to have an effect on the HEI, as the percentage of unreported incidents fluctuates significantly from 27% to 68% among different bird species groups. These findings suggest that relying exclusively on flight crew data may create a skewed perception of the wildlife hazard level, potentially leading to flawed management decisions. Having identified this, Fraport Greece practically integrates these findings into the Wildlife Hazard Management Programmes across its network of airports to ensure optimized, risk-based and data-driven management decisions.

Bird strikes pose a risk to aviation. Collisions between birds and airplanes result in a threat to human lives, economic losses, and material damage. The majority of these collisions occur on airfields during takeoff and landing. Knowing what bird species are present on airfields, in what numbers, and relating that to the extent to which these birds are involved in collisions can help to direct bird control activities to specific bird species and thus reduce bird strikes. In this article, we offer a method to quantify the risk of bird strikes at airfields based on counts of bird abundance on airfields. We analyzed bird abundance in relation to bird strike risks based on a dataset from six Dutch airfields covering three decades. We used the data to define two metrics: Species Strike Impact (SSI) and Bird Strike Risk Index (BSRI), which are both independent of aspects such as bird behavior, habitat, season, or weather. These two metrics, respectively, reflect the bird strike risk per individual of a bird species on an airfield based on hazard probability and severity (SSI), and they provide quick insight in the local status of overall bird strike risks by summing all species-related risks into one overall index (BSRI). Both metrics are calculated from counts on the airfield of birds, bird strikes, and air traffic movements. This method can be readily incorporated as a leading indicator in flight safety management at airfields, enabling bird control personnel to take risk-reducing actions targeted at specific bird species on airfields.

Lesser Snow Geese winter on the Fraser River estuary in southwestern British Columbia and are a hazard to aviation operations at Vancouver International Airport. Though the geese do not consistently use habitats at the airport, they actively transit between habitats outside the airfield. This includes movements between tidal sedge marshes, upland agricultural fields, and suburban amenity turf grass fields and lawns. The hazard associated with these daily movements is most acute when flocks overfly the departure runways. Understanding the routes taken by the geese and the timing of the flights allows airport managers to proactively deploy resources to manage these specific wildlife hazards. It also supports the planning and implementation of novel operational procedures as further mitigation.

We used an avian radar system to characterize patterns of Snow Goose movements. Analysis of flight patterns were initially conducted by studying hour-long blocks of radar data to visually identify radar tracks that were associated with Snow Goose movements. We also conducted observations of geese in the field to create a validated database of radar tracks. From these data we identified target characteristics associated with geese and created geospatially defined zones within the avian radar system that would automatically alert if goose flocks persisted within the zones. This provided on-duty wildlife management personnel with real-time awareness of goose movements Using the analysis of flight pattern methodology, we identified a new trend of goose flight behavior in spring 2022. With the available information we were able to strategize mitigations to the new flight behavior, which included a daily scheduled watch to detect the geese; real-time radar alert zones to improve situational awareness; and the coordination of dynamic departure management with ATC, airport safety officers and wildlife management personnel.

This work demonstrates that avian radar systems can be used to 1) identify new patterns of flight behavior; 2) visually communicate the hazard to airport stakeholders; and 3) provide real-time situational awareness to on-duty wildlife personnel. Another finding is that novel departure management procedures can reduce the likelihood of striking flocking waterbirds.

Wildlife management at an airport is not the sole responsibility of the Wildlife Manager. Rather, it must be understood as an interdisciplinary task that requires coordination across multiple areas of responsibility. Accordingly, the implementation of the Wildlife Hazard Management Plan involves a range of stakeholders within the airport organization.

This presentation aims to provide insight into the organizational structure of wildlife management as well as the current and future application of technological solutions at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). Particular emphasis is placed on communication processes - both in their present form and in their prospective development - between the Wildlife Hazard Manager (WHM) and other relevant parties, especially Air Traffic Control (ATC).

There has been dramatic increased of hazardous species activity and numbers at and around airports in last decades due to climate and anthropogenic changes. The Wildlife Hazard Management (WHM) Program in the Polish Armed Forces (Polish acronym: POZS) was implemented in 2015 as a respond to increasing Hazard. The program covers all military airports in Poland (Navy, Army and Air Force) as an element of the Safety Management System (SMS) based on ecological approach and grate respect to Nature Protection needs and regulations. POZS includes comprehensive activities at airports as well as civil-military national and international cooperation. In Poland WHM mainly concerns birds and terrestrial mammals strikes to aircrafts. In average there had been ca 40 bird strikes and less than 2 mammal strikes in last 10 years in Polish military aviation. Appropriate habitat management (including grass areas) significantly reduced the attractiveness of the airport to hazardous bird species. A number of new measures have been introduced, like: 2 dogs at each air base, intensive reduction of game mammals. The WHM Program include intense and regular biannual training and on site visit to every airbase. WHM training is also a part of a flight safety course by the Military Aviation Authority and curriculum for Polish Air Force University (LAW) students. The SPI and other statistics concerning birds strike, damaging birds strike and terrestrial mammals strike show distinct increase of safety level on Polish Armed Forces airbases. The statistics show the military airbases are even safer concerning Wildlife hazard comparing to civil aviation airports in Poland.

Conclusions The WHM Program (POZS) demonstrated that a comprehensive, interdisciplinary and complex approach to managing Wildlife Hazard is essential in military aviation. The effect of implementation of the WHM Program is an increase safety of military air operations. The program turned out to be an effective response to the constantly increasing Wildlife Hazard.

The aerosphere is utilized by billions of birds, moving for different reasons and from short to great distances spanning tens of thousands of kilometers. The aerosphere, however, is also utilized by military aviation leading to increasing conflicts in and around airfields as well as en-route. Due to the sheer numbers of birds during avian migration, the risk of bird strikes becomes particularly acute, especially for low-flying military aviation at high speed. Over the last decades, air forces across Europe and the Middle East have been developing solutions that integrate ecological research and aviation policy to reduce mutual negative interactions between birds and aircraft. This presentation shows the impact and effectiveness of a warning system based on monitoring birds using a weather radar network and presents the newly developed Flysafe service. Flysafe is an interactive website showing near-real time observations of bird migration over The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, and an operational forecast model of bird migration. We conclude by showing the roles of an operational Flysafe service and international and interdisciplinary collaboration to create safer skies for aviation and birds.

Wildlife strikes represent a persistent and evolving threat to aviation safety, with increasing frequency driven by environmental changes, air traffic growth, and ecosystem interactions around aerodromes. Effective Wildlife Hazard Management requires not only reactive reporting but also proactive monitoring, analysis, and decision-support tools. In this context, the WASH (Wildlife Aviation Safety Hub) program is conceived as an integrated digital platform designed to enhance the collection, analysis, and operational use of wildlife-related safety data. The objective of WASH is to support aeronautical organizations in transitioning from descriptive statistics to predictive and preventive safety management. The system aims to centralize wildlife strike reports, environmental observations, and operational data, enabling users to identify recurring patterns, high-risk areas, and temporal trends. Additionally, WASH is intended to provide decision-makers with actionable insights to support timely mitigation measures and resource allocation. Methodologically, WASH integrates structured data inputs (e.g., strike reports, species identification, location coordinates) with analytical modules capable of statistical processing, geospatial visualization, and trend analysis. The platform leverages data aggregation and correlation techniques to highlight risk concentrations and detect emerging hazards. Visualization tools, including dashboards and heat maps, are used to represent wildlife activity in relation to flight operations, supporting both operational personnel and safety analysts. Preliminary results demonstrate that the use of WASH enables improved situational awareness and more effective identification of critical risk factors. The system facilitates the recognition of recurring events and contributes to the anticipation of hazardous conditions, thus supporting a shift toward a proactive safety approach. Early applications indicate enhanced coordination between wildlife control units and safety management functions. In conclusion, WASH represents a valuable tool within the broader Safety Management System (SMS), contributing to the development of a data-driven and prevention-oriented safety culture. Its implementation can strengthen the capability of aviation organizations to manage wildlife hazards, reduce incident rates, and support continuous improvement in flight safety.

Originally presented at the Vertical Flight Society (VFS) 81st Annual Forum Technology Display, May 20-22, 2025, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Conflicts between aircraft and flying animals, namely birds and bats, are a persistent hazard across a broad range of missions and geographies. This research proposes a technology-based architecture to provide an end-to-end future solution space for wildlife strike risk mitigation in uncrewed Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations. These operations are expected to involve a high density of air vehicles in the region of the atmosphere with the greatest wildlife activity. Many of these operations may be remotely piloted or fully autonomous, removing the primary onboard mitigation of a pilot in the cockpit. Most technologies from the current solution space can be adapted and updated to support future AAM needs, but substantial gaps remain to be filled before full autonomy can be realized. These technological shortfalls should be addressed now, while vehicles and their supporting infrastructure are still in development and mitigation measures can be more readily implemented.

Wildlife strikes continue to pose significant safety and operational challenges for aviation, particularly with the rapid growth of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and increasing air traffic. Effective mitigation therefore requires proactive, technology-driven approaches. This study highlights the role of the Airport Fauna Monitoring System (AFMS) in preventing wildlife strikes by providing real-time surveillance, automated alerts, and actionable insights for airport operators through the integration of Big Data, IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and stereovision technologies.

AI-based algorithms enable continuous monitoring of bird behaviour and the mapping of flight routes, allowing airport authorities to better understand wildlife activity in the airside environment. Data collected by AFMS, combined with historical strike records and environmental monitoring, enables advanced modelling to identify high-risk areas and critical time periods. Furthermore, incorporating climate change factors, such as altered migration patterns and habitat shifts, strengthens the predictive capabilities of the system and supports long-term risk assessment.

AFMS and its supporting integrations are designed to align with existing regulatory frameworks, ensuring that technological interventions support international aviation safety standards and Safety Management System (SMS) procedures. In particular, the system supports the proactive risk management principles established by ICAO Annex 19 (Safety Management) and ICAO Doc 9137, Part 3 (Wildlife Hazard Management). By enabling continuous wildlife monitoring and supporting data-driven mitigation strategies, AFMS contributes to enhanced aviation safety and operational resilience.

Case studies from airports deploying AFMS demonstrate measurable reductions in wildlife strike incidents and improved situational awareness for airport operations and wildlife management teams. Effective collaboration between airport authorities, wildlife control units, and technology providers is emphasized as a key factor for maximizing system performance and operational benefits.

Pilot AFMS technology has been tested as a minimum viable product (MVP) and has been in operation since 2022, at Lech Walesa Gdansk Airport. Current technical availability exceeds 98%, with expectations to reach over 99% in the final product configuration. The system has also contributed to a reduction in bird strike incidents despite increasing air traffic. Operational efficiency has improved as daily runway wildlife inspections and airside monitoring can be managed with fewer personnel. In addition, monthly reporting processes have been reduced from two days of manual work to approximately four hours.

By linking data analysis, innovative technologies, and regulatory compliance, AFMS represents a holistic approach to wildlife strike prevention. The findings of this research aim to inform future policy development, operational planning, and technology-driven innovation in wildlife hazard management across civil and military aviation.