Approaching birds with drones: first experiments and ethical guidelines

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly called drones, are being increasingly used in ecological research, in particular to approach sensitive wildlife in inaccessible areas. Impact studies leading to recommendations for best practices are urgently needed. We tested the impact of drone colour, speed and flight angle on the behavioural responses of mallards Anas platyrhynchos in a semi-captive situation, and of wild flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and common greenshanks (Tringa nebularia) in a wetland area. We performed 204 approach flights with a quadricopter drone, and during 80% of those we could approach unaffected birds to within 4 m. Approach speed, drone colour and repeated flights had no measurable impact on bird behaviour, yet they reacted more to drones approaching vertically. We recommend launching drones farther than 100 m from the birds and adjusting approach distance according to species. Our study is a first step towards a sound use of drones for wildlife research. Further studies should assess the impacts of different drones on other taxa, and monitor physiological indicators of stress in animals exposed to drones according to group sizes and reproductive status.

Wildlife research and management methods in the 21st century: Where do unmanned aircraft fit in?

“…Finally, a key consideration is whether UAS disturb target or non-target animals, which a growing number of studies have quantitatively assessed (Sarda-Palomera et al 2012;Chabot et al 2015;Ditmer et al 2015;Dulava et al 2015;Goebel et al 2015;Pomeroy et al 2015;Vas et al 2015). The general consensus has been that UAS cause low to no disturbance, in particular when compared to alternative methods, such as intrusive direct surveying by investigators or low-altitude surveying by larger and noisier conventional aircraft.…”

“…Seabird colonies have also been monitored using kite-based aerial photography (Delord et al 2015). Vas et al (2015) systematically assessed reactions of non-breeding mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus), and common greenshanks (Tringa nebularia) to small multirotor UAS of varying colour, speed, and approach angle. Most recently, Dulava et al (2015) evaluated the detectability of non-breeding waterbird species as well as decoys by small fixedwing UAS at varying flight altitudes and camera settings, while Brooke et al (2015) reported detection of various seabirds in UAS video footage.…”

Proper flight technique for using a small rotary-winged drone aircraft to safely, quickly, and accurately survey raptor nests

“…Questions concerning the impact of drones on groups of birds, such as ducks, flamingos, and shorebirds are being investigated (Vas et al 2015) and these findings will help future researchers to refine their techniques. For instance, in terms of raptors, it is well known that some species are fierce defenders of their nest contents to the point of even attacking manned aircraft.…”

Determining position, velocity and acceleration of free-ranging animals with a low-cost unmanned aerial system

“…Other potential drawbacks of such platforms include: small camera payload capacity (limited to GoPro or similar small high-resolution cameras), with typically wideangled fish-eye lenses causing severe lens distortion, and the fact that camera gimbals do not typically contain encoders to give orientation relative to the platform. Care must be taken to avoid the UAS causing stress to the animals being tracked, which could affect behaviour (Vas et al, 2015).…”