Efficacy of Avian Radar Systems for TrackingBirds on the Airfield of a Large InternationalAirport

摘要

Avian radar technologies have the potential to serve an important role in the quantification ofbird movements and determining patterns of bird use in areas where human–wildlife conflicts might occur(e.g., airports, wind-energy facilities). However, capabilities and limitations of these technologies are relativelyunknown and ground-truthing studies are needed to help wildlife managers understand the biological meaningof radar information. We evaluated the efficacy of 3 X-band marine radar sensors for tracking birds and flocksof birds observed on the airfield at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, USA, during March 2011–November 2012. We used specific information regarding field observations of birds or flocks to determine howfrequently the 3 radar sensors provided corresponding tracks of these avian targets. In addition, we examinedvarious factors to determine if they had any influence on the frequency of correspondence between visualobservations and radar tracks. Of the 972 sightings of individual birds (49%) or flocks of birds (51%) byobservers on the airfield that had the potential to be observed by the radar, 143 (15%) were tracked by 1 radarsensor. All confirmed tracks of individual birds or flocks were 4.8 km from these radars. Among the 3 radarsensors, larger bodied bird species, bird/flocks flying at higher altitudes, and bird/flocks closer to the radarsincreased the ability of those units to track avian targets. This study provides new information regarding theperformance of radar systems for tracking birds on the airfield of one of the largest and busiest airports in theworld. Published 2018.