Bird Strike Species Research and Prevention for Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport

Bird strike remains a critical factor to aviation safety. The precise species identification is of importance for effective mitigation and prevention of bird strike at airports. This study utilized DNA barcoding to analyze 93 portions of avian strike residue collected from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport from August 2022 to August 2023, identifying 46 species across 17 families and 7 orders. Hirundo rustica was the most frequent strike species, followed by Nycticorax nycticorax and Gallinago stenura. Eight thousand four hundred individuals comprising 87 species, 38 families, 14 orders were recorded in the survey around the airport flight zone and 8-km periphery, with Passeriformes being the dominant order (25.19%). Bird strike incidents exhibited seasonal and diurnal patterns. On the basis of the above results, in order to reduce the presence of high-risk bird species and enhance the effectiveness of bird strike prevention at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, mitigation strategies are proposed, focusing on reduction of high-risk species presence, damage to survival elements, ecological environment management, etc.