Ranking birdstrike risk: A case study at Huanghua International Airport, Changsha, China

Bird-aircraft collisions (birdstrikes) pose a major threat to aviation safety worldwide. The bird distribution at the airfield of Huanghua International Airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, was investigated between December of 2006 and December of 2008, to study birdstrike avoidance and aviation safety. A total of 60 bird species was found and their risks were assessed by a birdstrike ranking assessment system. The highest-risk species were Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), Red-rumped swallow (H. daurica), Grey-headed lapwing (Vanellus cinereus), Pintail snipe (Gallinago stenura), Oriental skylark (Alauda gulgula), Little egret (Egretta garzetta), and Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), whereas the lowest-risk species were Black-capped kingfisher (Halcyon pileata) and White-throated kingfisher (H. smyrnensis). Through a hierarchical cluster analysis, all species were classified as four groups: (1) the extremely high-risk group with a risk level between 84% and 100%, which includes bird species ranked from the 1st to the 16th, and is the priori group in birdstrike prevention; (2) the high-risk group with a risk level between 71% and 81%, which includes bird species ranked from the 17th to the 28th, and is the sub-prior group in birdstrikes; (3) the sub-high-risk group with a risk level between 60% and 69%, which includes bird species ranked from the 29th to the 43rd, and is the concern group in birdstrike prevention; (4) the low-risk group with a risk level between 60% and 69%, which includes bird species ranked from the 44th to the 60th, and is the negligible group in birdstrike prevention. Finally, the first 16 bird species with high-risk values, which are the main focus of birdstrike prevention, were categorized as six prevention groups by a hierarchical cluster analysis. Therefore, this study provides targeted implementations for birdstrike prevention at Huanghua International Airport, Changsha.