Identification of species involved in bird/aircraft strikes is an important part of the mitigation of wildlife hazards to aviation. Species identifications provide the baseline data needed to plan habitat management on airfields, allocate resources, build avoidance programs, and have even been used to assist engineers to design windscreens and engines that are more resilient to birdstrike events. Visit Smithsonian Feather DNA & Lab website
SENDING SAMPLES TO THE SMITHSONIAN LAB IS SIMPLE, TAKES JUST MINUTES AND IT’S FREE!
Reporting every wildlife strike is crucial to the continuing effort of birdstrike prevention. Equally important is to assign an accurate species to each case so the overall data is complete and can be correctly interpreted. Although commercial aviation currently reports about 7,500 strikes per year, many of these cases are not associated with a specific identification of the wildlife involved. See the links below and recommendations for reporting, collecting, and shipping birdstrike material.
How To Collect Birdstrike Evidence
General Birdstrike Collection and Shipping Instructions/Address