Nature & Environment

Real-life 'angry birds' attack delivery drones

By T.K. Randall
September 28, 2021

Image: Carrion Crow
Credit: Pavel Sirotkin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) The idea of delivering parcels to recipients via autonomous aerial drones seems to have been gaining more and more traction in recent years, opening the door to a future in which items we order online could be deposited in our gardens mere hours after clicking 'confirm purchase' on the website.

In Canberra, however, an increase in delivery drone use has met with some unexpected opposition in the form of ravens which have started attacking the flying machines on sight.

One customer, Ben Roberts, has become acutely aware of the problem after going outside to await the delivery of his morning coffee via drone each day.

"It's a matter of time before they bring one down," he said.

The bird attacks have become so common in the area that the drone company has been forced to pause flights until a solution to the problem can be found.It is assumed that the ravens must be perceiving the drones as some sort of territorial threat.

According to Wayne Condon, chief pilot and instructor with UAV Training Australia, it is best to avoid flying drones near bird nesting sites and to fly them early in the morning to avoid the attacks.

He also suggests backing the drones away from the birds if an attack does occur, however given that the drones are autonomous, this is certainly not an ideal solution.

"We have identified some ravens demonstrating territorial behaviour in a small part of our delivery area in the suburb of Harrison, and we've asked local ornithological experts to investigate this further to ensure we continue to have minimal impact on birdlife," said a drone company spokesperson.

"Service will be temporarily paused for a small number of our customers in Harrison during this time."


Source: Canberra Times

Tags: Drones, Birds