Hawaii's Large Birds Threaten Flight Operations On The Island Of Kauai

On the Island of Kauai, where I’m currently stationed, there are two large birds that like to nest at Lihue International Airport and at Pacific Missile Range Facility airfield (Cocke, 2011). These are the Hawaiian goose and the Laysan albatross (Cocke, 2011). The Hawaiian goose is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and, in the mid-1900’s, it almost became extinct (Keirn, 2021). However, conservation efforts have introduced them into a golf course belonging to a resort located next to Lihue International Airport (Cocke, 2011). Ever since their introduction, the Hawaiian goose population has been growing at a rate of 20 percent per year, presenting a problem to planes coming in and out of the airport (Cocke, 2011).

 

The Laysan albatross spends most of its time at sea, only coming to shore when it’s time to nest (Keirn, 2021). When this happens, some of the 2.5 million birds that come to Hawaii to nest, land at Pacific Missile Range Facility airfield on the westside of Kauai (Keirn, 2021). These are no small birds. Adults are almost three feet long and have an average wingspan of six feet (Keirn, 2021). These birds like to nest along the grassy fields next to the runway at the Navy base and present a threat for aircraft coming in and out of the airfield (Keirn, 2021).

 

So, what is being done to protect the birds and prevent potential bird strikes? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employs non-lethal methods to disperse them from these two airfields (Keirn, 2021). For the geese, they place transmitters so they can track the birds’ movements (Keirn, 2021). Then they use canine teams to haze and scare the geese living in areas surrounding Lihue International Airport (Keirn, 2021). For the Laysan albatross, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with local partners to relocate birds and eggs located along the runway to areas that pose no threat to flight operations (Keirn, 2021).

(Courtesy: USDA)

 

References:

 

Cocke, S. (2011). Hawaii Nene Being Kicked Off Kauai.

            https://www.civilbeat.org/2011/09/12763-hawaiian-nenes-being-kicked-off-kauai/

 

Keirn, G. (2021). Protecting Hawaii’s Large Birds. 

            https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2021/07/26/protecting-hawaiis-large-birds