Birdstrikes are an important issue at every wildlife management plan.
It is a collision between a bird and an aircraft which is in flight or on a takeoff or landing roll. The term is often expanded to cover other wildlife strikes.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GWcCWY9RqQ]
About 61% of bird strikes with civil aircraft occur during landing phases of flight (descent, approach and landing roll); 36% occur during the take-off run and climb, and the remainder (3%) occur during the en-route phase. (FAA Stats).
Airports are a wide, open space with a full environment. The attractiveness of vegetation is a balance between food presence, food accessibility, and protection against predators.
Airfield shows short grass to avoid the presence of birds.
Vegetation is a balance between food presence, food accessibility, and protection against predators. And these three factors vary a lot for every bird or animal species.
Food
Food accessibility depends on vegetation height and density. Long, dense vegetation will inhibit most hazardous birds/wildlife from moving around, detecting and accessing the food. In addition, birds/wildlife feeding on seeds will avoid the airport if its vegetation is mowed during the flowering season.
Depredators
On the other hand, many species prefer to stay in the open space of short vegetation where they have a wide view to see predators well in advance to enable them to flee on time; and safeguard themselves from predators by hiding or fleeing.
