The Royal Air Force says individuals feeding pink kites are endangering navy plane.
A spokesperson for RAF Benson, close to Oxford, says the birds have gotten so quite a few in Oxfordshire that navy plane are having to re-route to keep away from them.
Due to their measurement and weight, pink kites trigger better injury to plane than different birds if hit in a chicken strike.
The navy base has already seen two birdstrikes within the final 12 months – with one involving a pink kite.
In one other incident, an plane was pressured to re-route on touchdown after being ‘surrounded’ by 15 of the birds of prey.
The base has joined a marketing campaign by native parish and city councils in Cholsey and Wallingford urging the general public to not feed the birds.
An RAF spokesman stated: “Big birds of prey and aircraft are never a good mix.
“RAF Benson has an active wildlife management plan to mitigate birdstrike risk for its helicopters, this includes asking the local community to help, by not feeding kites in the vicinity of the aerodrome.
“This strategy is fully endorsed by Natural England, as it also helps the birds avoid the risk of being hit by our aircraft.”
The kites are much less deterred by chicken management measures than different birds as a result of they fly excessive above the airfield’s wildlife management operatives in search of prey.
At a Wallingford Town Council assembly on August 21, group captain Christian Royston-Airey, station commander of RAF Benson, described to councillors the numerous and dear injury that might be precipitated to plane by a chicken strike.
His feedback got here after the council launched its marketing campaign towards feeding pink kites after a number of studies of the birds swooping down and stealing meals from parks.
One resident reported on social media they’d acquired “a right old thump on the head” when a pink kite swooped on them on the Bull Croft Park, whereas one other stated they’d acquired “scratches on my hand” from an analogous incident close to Waitrose.
In response, the council have put up round 20 posters within the Kinecroft, the Bull Croft, and the moorings by the River Thames which warned individuals towards feeding the birds.
Cllr Steve Holder stated no additional incidents had been reported for the reason that marketing campaign started.
He stated: “We’re obviously not going to get anyone calling up to say they used to feed the red kites and now don’t, but hopefully it’s hit a nerve and they have been convinced to stop by guilt.
“They’ve been given an indication of what happens when you do feed them.”
