Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform

Abstract A challenge that conservation practitioners face is manipulating behavior of nuisance species. The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) can cause substantial damage to aircraft if struck. The goal of this study was to assess vulture responses to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for use as a possi...

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Autores principales:	Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Bradley F. Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Bruce N. Buckingham, Joshua L. Hoblet, Patrice E. Baumhardt, Travis L. DeVault, Esteban Fernández-Juricic
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/3a8e145d1f4a4969886dc69de4d50162
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:3a8e145d1f4a4969886dc69de4d501622021-11-08T10:47:49ZResponses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform10.1038/s41598-021-01098-52045-2322https://doaj.org/article/3a8e145d1f4a4969886dc69de4d501622021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01098-5https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract A challenge that conservation practitioners face is manipulating behavior of nuisance species. The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) can cause substantial damage to aircraft if struck. The goal of this study was to assess vulture responses to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for use as a possible dispersal tool. Our treatments included three platforms (fixed-wing, multirotor, and a predator-like ornithopter [powered by flapping flight]) and two approach types (30 m overhead or targeted towards a vulture) in an operational context. We evaluated perceived risk as probability of reaction, reaction time, flight-initiation distance (FID), vulture remaining index, and latency to return. Vultures escaped sooner in response to the fixed-wing; however, fewer remained after multirotor treatments. Targeted approaches were perceived as riskier than overhead. Vulture perceived risk was enhanced by flying the multirotor in a targeted approach. We found no effect of our treatments on FID or latency to return. Latency was negatively correlated with UAS speed, perhaps because slower UAS spent more time over the area. Greatest visual saliency followed as: ornithopter, fixed-wing, and multirotor. Despite its appearance, the ornithopter was not effective at dispersing vultures. Because effectiveness varied, multirotor/fixed-wing UAS use should be informed by management goals (immediate dispersal versus latency).Morgan B. PfeifferBradley F. BlackwellThomas W. SeamansBruce N. BuckinghamJoshua L. HobletPatrice E. BaumhardtTravis L. DeVaultEsteban Fernández-JuricicNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-13 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Morgan B. Pfeiffer Bradley F. Blackwell Thomas W. Seamans Bruce N. Buckingham Joshua L. Hoblet Patrice E. Baumhardt Travis L. DeVault Esteban Fernández-Juricic Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
description	Abstract A challenge that conservation practitioners face is manipulating behavior of nuisance species. The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) can cause substantial damage to aircraft if struck. The goal of this study was to assess vulture responses to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for use as a possible dispersal tool. Our treatments included three platforms (fixed-wing, multirotor, and a predator-like ornithopter [powered by flapping flight]) and two approach types (30 m overhead or targeted towards a vulture) in an operational context. We evaluated perceived risk as probability of reaction, reaction time, flight-initiation distance (FID), vulture remaining index, and latency to return. Vultures escaped sooner in response to the fixed-wing; however, fewer remained after multirotor treatments. Targeted approaches were perceived as riskier than overhead. Vulture perceived risk was enhanced by flying the multirotor in a targeted approach. We found no effect of our treatments on FID or latency to return. Latency was negatively correlated with UAS speed, perhaps because slower UAS spent more time over the area. Greatest visual saliency followed as: ornithopter, fixed-wing, and multirotor. Despite its appearance, the ornithopter was not effective at dispersing vultures. Because effectiveness varied, multirotor/fixed-wing UAS use should be informed by management goals (immediate dispersal versus latency).
format	article
author	Morgan B. Pfeiffer Bradley F. Blackwell Thomas W. Seamans Bruce N. Buckingham Joshua L. Hoblet Patrice E. Baumhardt Travis L. DeVault Esteban Fernández-Juricic
author_facet	Morgan B. Pfeiffer Bradley F. Blackwell Thomas W. Seamans Bruce N. Buckingham Joshua L. Hoblet Patrice E. Baumhardt Travis L. DeVault Esteban Fernández-Juricic
author_sort	Morgan B. Pfeiffer
title	Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
title_short	Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
title_full	Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
title_fullStr	Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
title_full_unstemmed	Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
title_sort	responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/3a8e145d1f4a4969886dc69de4d50162
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Responses of turkey vultures to unmanned aircraft systems vary by platform

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