Bird Strike Committee Proceedings
Date of this Version
May 1999
Abstract
Feral pigeons (Columba Livia) are a safety problem all around the airdrome, as they fly in big, dense flocks crossing the runways. Pigeons are also one of the worst causes of foreign object damage in the hangars and are an environmental and health hazard. The hooded crow is found around runways in Israeli air-bases, due to the thick vegetation that can be found in the bases. Other methods for bird population control in use now involve either repulsing (glue, spikes, nets) or eliminating (poison, shooting). Trapping is an environmental friendly, cost-effective long term solution, with a history of thousands of years. Forest Ecological Solution is implementing a trapping method that is based on three pillars : 1) Ornithological knowledge about the bird; 2) Patented mechanical traps (Ecotraps®); and 3) Environmental understanding. The success of Ecotraps has been proven in different climates and geographical areas for over six years, with the excellent results of a first-year drop of 95% and maintaining low population level, for as long as the trap is in use.