{"id":40059,"date":"2024-07-15T15:57:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T13:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/db38519c-018b-4842-b7d9-d8d2ce6802bf"},"modified":"2024-07-15T17:27:54","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T15:27:54","slug":"angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal\/","title":{"rendered":"Angry birds are attacking New York’s ‘shark drones’. And the results could be fatal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The American oystercatchers are mistaking the shark-spotting drones for predators. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 15 July 2024 at 13:57 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Recent safety measures taken by the New York Parks Department on beaches south of Brooklyn and Queens have had unexpected consequences for local shorebirds.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

In May this year the Parks<\/a> authorities invested in a fleet of drones to survey the coastline, looking out for swimmers in difficulty and incoming sharks that could necessitate the closure of beaches.<\/p>

Unfortunately, the metre-long humming machines appear to an American oystercatcher<\/a> like giant predators threatening its chicks. Anxious parent birds dive-bomb the intruder in an attempt to warn it off their nest site. <\/p>

\u201cThey will fly at it, they\u2019ll swoop at it, they\u2019ll be vocalising,\u201d says Veronica Welsh, wildlife coordinator at the Parks Department. \u201cThey think they\u2019re defending their chicks…\u201d<\/p>

The American oystercatcher is of high conservation concern. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Why oystercatchers have the right bill for the job<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
To date there are no reports of birds being physically harmed by the drones, but officials say there have been several close calls, so flight plans have been adjusted to try to keep the drones at a distance.\u00a0<\/p>
Of even greater concern than collisions, though, is the chance these flying machines could provoke a stress response in the oystercatcher colony, causing the adults to abandon their eggs altogether.\u00a0<\/p>
The American oystercatcher is of high conservation concern. There are two races of oystercatcher in North America: an eastern that lives along the Atlantic coast and a western along the Pacific. <\/p>
The eastern population was thriving until the beginning of the 19th century when the birds fell victim to market hunting and egg collecting. They were saved by the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act and numbers began to rise, but now habitat loss due to coastal development and disturbance by human activity \u2013 drones being the latest hazard \u2013 has seen numbers dropping sharply.<\/p>
$\"New$
Drones are used on New York City’s beaches to spot swimmers in difficulty and incoming sharks. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Angry American oystercatchers are not the only birds to find drones unacceptable. The same beach habitats are shared with many species of terns and a particularly rare bird called the piping plover. Its sandy nest sites are closely monitored by volunteers from the New York City Plover Project<\/a>. The Project\u2019s founder, Christopher Allieri, says the city\u2019s novel approach to beachgoers\u2019 safety is commendable but precautions must be taken to safeguard local shorebirds. <\/p>
\u201cWildlife in New York is often an afterthought,\u201d he says. \u201cWe should be asking ourselves how we can use this technology in a way that works for all New Yorkers, and that includes those with feathers.\u201d<\/p>
$\"American$
Conservationists say that drones could provoke a stress response in oystercatcher colonies, causing the adults to abandon their eggs. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
**More amazing wildlife stories<\/strong><\/p>**
**Scientists stunned to find rare ocean bird that actually chases tropical cyclones<\/a><\/li>**
**Strange tropical seabird from the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands spotted in Dorset<\/a><\/li>**
Unkillable lion: world’s most invincible big cat filmed swimming across huge crocodile-infested river in Uganda<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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The American oystercatchers are mistaking the shark-spotting drones for predators. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":40060,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal.jpg",2560,1681,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-300x197.jpg",300,197,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-768x504.jpg",768,504,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-1024x672.jpg",800,525,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-1536x1009.jpg",1536,1009,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-2048x1345.jpg",2048,1345,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The American oystercatchers are mistaking the shark-spotting drones for predators.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/40059"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

The American oystercatcher is of high conservation concern. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Why oystercatchers have the right bill for the job<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
To date there are no reports of birds being physically harmed by the drones, but officials say there have been several close calls, so flight plans have been adjusted to try to keep the drones at a distance.\u00a0<\/p>
Of even greater concern than collisions, though, is the chance these flying machines could provoke a stress response in the oystercatcher colony, causing the adults to abandon their eggs altogether.\u00a0<\/p>
The American oystercatcher is of high conservation concern. There are two races of oystercatcher in North America: an eastern that lives along the Atlantic coast and a western along the Pacific. <\/p>
The eastern population was thriving until the beginning of the 19th century when the birds fell victim to market hunting and egg collecting. They were saved by the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act and numbers began to rise, but now habitat loss due to coastal development and disturbance by human activity \u2013 drones being the latest hazard \u2013 has seen numbers dropping sharply.<\/p>
$\"New$
Drones are used on New York City’s beaches to spot swimmers in difficulty and incoming sharks. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Angry American oystercatchers are not the only birds to find drones unacceptable. The same beach habitats are shared with many species of terns and a particularly rare bird called the piping plover. Its sandy nest sites are closely monitored by volunteers from the New York City Plover Project<\/a>. The Project\u2019s founder, Christopher Allieri, says the city\u2019s novel approach to beachgoers\u2019 safety is commendable but precautions must be taken to safeguard local shorebirds. <\/p>
\u201cWildlife in New York is often an afterthought,\u201d he says. \u201cWe should be asking ourselves how we can use this technology in a way that works for all New Yorkers, and that includes those with feathers.\u201d<\/p>
$\"American$
Conservationists say that drones could provoke a stress response in oystercatcher colonies, causing the adults to abandon their eggs. Credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
**More amazing wildlife stories<\/strong><\/p>**
**Scientists stunned to find rare ocean bird that actually chases tropical cyclones<\/a><\/li>**
**Strange tropical seabird from the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands spotted in Dorset<\/a><\/li>**
Unkillable lion: world’s most invincible big cat filmed swimming across huge crocodile-infested river in Uganda<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The American oystercatchers are mistaking the shark-spotting drones for predators. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":40060,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal.jpg",2560,1681,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-300x197.jpg",300,197,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-768x504.jpg",768,504,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-1024x672.jpg",800,525,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-1536x1009.jpg",1536,1009,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/07\/angry-birds-are-attacking-new-yorks-shark-drones-and-the-results-could-be-fatal-2048x1345.jpg",2048,1345,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The American oystercatchers are mistaking the shark-spotting drones for predators.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/40059"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}