The audio recordings are stark. “Birds,” the captain remarked.
Thump. Thud. Then a shuddering sound was heard, followed by a
decrease in engine noise as both of the engines’ fans started to
slow. “Mayday mayday mayday...this is....Cactus fifteen-fourty-
nine. Hit birds. We’ve lost thrust in both engines. We’re
turning back towards LaGuardia.” Unable to safely make it back
to the airport, the captain announced, “We’re gonna brace,”
before dramatically ditching the plane on the Hudson River. The
emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 in 2009 gave
increased media attention to bird-aircraft collisions, which
poses a significant concern globally to both civil and military
aviation. In addition to safety issues, bird strikes also pose a
significant financial burden; worldwide, the cost to civil
aviation alone exceeds $1.2 billion a year. Because birds see so
differently from humans, scientists are relying on their
knowledge of bird visual systems to come up with possible
solutions to reduce the risk of wildlife