Bird-aircraft strikes are a major safety hazard to aircraft. The majority of bird strikes occur near airports, at low altitudes, and during the take-off and landing. Airports near areas that act as attractants for birds may be particularly dangerous. Our goal was to provide information that may be used to minimize the potential for bird-aircraft strikes at Beale Air Force Base (AFB), California. We determined: (1) bird activity, behavior, and use of vegetation, water sources, and manmade structures in the flight line; (2) bird flight direction and altitude in the flight line; and (3) bird use of roosting and feeding locations from November 2000 to February 2001. Nine bird-aircraft strikes were reported at Beale AFB during this study. American widgeon (Anas americana) and snow goose (Chen caerulescens) were involved in 2 bird-aircraft strikes; the other 7 strikes involved unknown species. The majority of birds we observed were species commonly involved in bird-aircraft strikes. Approximately 69% of the birds observed during the flight line censuses were flying and at altitudes <100 m. Sixty-three percent of observed birds were flying north, northwest, west, and southwest, which was the direction of rice fields adjacent to Beale AFB. The presence of food, water, and perching sites act as attractants, and may increase the potential for bird-aircraft strikes. Agriculture and other land uses surrounding the base can attract birds and may increase bird activity in and around the flight line. Manipulation of foraging and perch, and modification of land-use practices in areas near the flight line may reduce bird activity. Features that cannot be modified or removed could be avoided by aircraft, particularly during periods of high bird activity.
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