Barn owls, red-wattled lapwings and little swifts are likely to have struck an aircraft in midair most often than any other bird in India, finds a one-of-a-kind study.
In addition to these three, the study found black kites and three bat species were also involved in most bird strikes. "Due to their flying ability at night, presence of bats at airports could be threatening," the report says.
Until now, it was difficult to identify the species involved in bird hits because these collisions mostly happened at high speed, leaving very little of them for investigators to pinpoint the avian variety. It was necessary to pick out the common species responsible for bird hits since such accidents pose a serious risk to human lives and the aviation industry.
Using DNA barcode, the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) in Pune identified 16 species involved in bird strikes. Samples were provided by the navy, while scientists said the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has approached the institute to do a similar exercise for the city airport.
25/01/16 Senhal Rebello/AviationPros
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In addition to these three, the study found black kites and three bat species were also involved in most bird strikes. "Due to their flying ability at night, presence of bats at airports could be threatening," the report says.
Until now, it was difficult to identify the species involved in bird hits because these collisions mostly happened at high speed, leaving very little of them for investigators to pinpoint the avian variety. It was necessary to pick out the common species responsible for bird hits since such accidents pose a serious risk to human lives and the aviation industry.
Using DNA barcode, the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) in Pune identified 16 species involved in bird strikes. Samples were provided by the navy, while scientists said the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has approached the institute to do a similar exercise for the city airport.
25/01/16 Senhal Rebello/AviationPros
