An Ecological Study of Gull Populations to Reduce the Bird-Aircraft Strike Hazard at Charleston Air Force Base.
Abstract
Activities related to the bird-aircraft strike hazard at Charleston AFB, South Carolina, were studied in a 500-square-mile coastal area from 1 June 1971 to 1 June 1972. Ring-billed, Herring, and Laughing Gulls were the main species present: 2,500 Ring-billed Gulls and 2,500 Herring Gulls during winter, and 2,200 Laughing Gulls during summer. Ring-billed and Herring Gulls had increased in numbers in the study area since 1957, and were the major bird hazards to air traffic safety at the air base. In all, 14 bird-aircraft strikes occurred at Charleston AFB during the study, compared with 33 in the previous year. Of the 14 strikes, 6 to 9 were by Ring-billed or Herring Gulls, and the others were by blackbirds or starlings, pigeons, Cattle Egrets, and unidentified species. Recommendations to reduce the bird-aircraft strike hazard include zoning for solid-waste disposal sites, and improving bird-control techniques at the air base. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- AD0776001
Entities
People
- Dennis M. Forsythe
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory