How to Deter Birds from Airports to Prevent Bird Strikes

Jun 12, 2025

In the complex world of aviation safety, one persistent threat often goes unnoticed by passengers but remains a constant concern for aviation professionals: bird strikes. Collisions between aircraft and birds represent a significant safety challenge that affects airports of all sizes. Effective bird management isn’t merely a regulatory requirement—it’s a critical safety measure that saves lives, prevents costly damage, and ensures smooth airport operations. 

The Growing Problem of Bird Strikes 

The frequency of bird strikes has increased dramatically over recent decades. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there were 19,603 bird strikes by civil aircrafts in 2023 in the US, an increase of 14% from 2022. This alarming trend highlights the urgent need to increase comprehensive bird management strategies at airports. 

Recent Bird Strike Incidents: A Wake-Up Call 

Recent events have tragically demonstrated the potential consequences of bird strikes. The most devastating, recent incident occurred on December 29, 2024, when Jeju Air Flight 2216, a Boeing 737-800 flying from Bangkok to Muan, South Korea, encountered a flock of birds during landing. This resulted in a dual engine failure, leading to a runway excursion and crash that claimed 179 lives out of 181 occupants. Investigators found feathers and bird blood from Baikal teals, a type of duck native to East Asia, in both engines. 

While catastrophic outcomes like this are rare, bird strikes regularly cause operational disruptions. On January 12, 2025, United Airlines Flight 1727 returned to Chicago O’Hare International Airport after experiencing a bird strike during departure. Similarly, on March 11, 2025, Allegiant Air Flight 1536 had to return to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida after the crew reported a possible bird strike. 

These incidents not only endanger lives but also impose significant financial burdens on airlines. Bird strikes can increase insurance premiums, lead to costly repairs, and reduce scheduled flights due to fewer, fully operational aircraft. 

Bird Management Strategies for Airports 

Effective bird management requires a multi-faceted approach tailored to an airport’s specific environment: 

Species Identification 

The first step to effective bird management at airports is to identify the most common species that habituate the surrounding environment and could pose a strike risk. Raptors such as vultures, waterfowl, and flocking songbirds are the three main strike risk groups, each requiring different, and at times, conflicting management strategies. By understanding the various species present, our bird experts can craft comprehensive plans for airports that address their most immediate threat.  

Habitat Modification 

One of the most effective long-term strategies involves making the airport environment less attractive to birds by removing or modifying elements that provide food, water, or shelter. Some actions airports can take to make the environment less popular with birds include:  

• Eliminating ponds, filling in drainage ditches, or covering water features with netting to prevent access by waterfowl and shorebirds. 

• Pruning or removing trees and shrubs that provide roosting or nesting sites. Many airports have implemented specific grass height management strategies – either maintaining grass around 6-12 inches for species like gulls that prefer short grass to feed and rest or keeping it very short to eliminate seed production that attracts smaller birds. 

• Remove or reduce food sources by managing nearby landfills, clearing roadkill quickly from airport perimeters, and controlling rodent populations that might die and attract scavenger bird species.  

Active Deterrents 

However, for many airports, particularly those that sit adjacent to reservoirs, large bodies of water, nature preserves, farms, or private land, habitat modification is not always feasible. When habitat modification is not feasible or modification alone does not reduce bird risks, it’s critical that airports partner with bird biologists and bird control experts to deploy active deterrent solutions. To prevent costly and dangerous bird strikes, continuous and proactive prevention is key. Solutions like Pyrotechnics and propane canons that create loud noises to disperse birds are short-term fixes and sometimes only work to move birds to another area of the airport.  

Preventing birds from entering airspace requires constant and routine maintenance to ensure that the airport remains an undesirable location for birds. 

Wild Goose Chase’s Management Programs 

Wild Goose Chase offers comprehensive wildlife management programs at airports. Our bird biologists and structural experts start by identifying the bird species present and designing unique deterrent solutions based on local bird behavior and activity. Depending on an airport’s specific needs, our team can recommend either routine management solutions, such as canine or laser bird deterrence, or specialized structural solutions, including spikes, netting and automated bird deterrence laser installation.  

When to Call a Bird Management Expert 

Airports should consider consulting bird control experts in the following situations: 

1. After experiencing multiple bird strike incidents: If an airport notices an increase in bird strike close calls and/or incidents, experts like the Wild Goose Chase team can identify underlying causes. 

1. When planning airport expansions: Environmental impact studies should include evaluation of potential bird hazards in new development areas. 

1. When located along migratory routes: Airports situated in areas that overlap with birds’ migration patterns face additional challenges requiring specialized knowledge. 

1. When conventional methods fail: If standard deterrents prove ineffective, our experts can develop customized solutions. 

Bird management at airports is not merely about preventing occasional disruptions—it’s a critical safety measure that protects human lives and valuable aircraft.  

As air travel continues to increase, and as bird populations continue to adapt to suburban/ urban environments, the importance of appropriate bird management at airports is absolute necessity. Wild Goose Chase can help airports implement comprehensive strategies that combine insights from bird science, environmental science and construction science to help significantly reduce the risks posed by bird strikes and ensure safer skies for everyone.