The Drone Bird Company

THE DRONE BIRD SOLUTION

The falcon drone bird is a remote control robotic bird of prey. It has the realistic appearance and weight of its living counterpart. The falcon drone bird is available as an ornithopter, which means it flies by flapping its wings as a means of lift and propulsion. Just recently The Drone Bird Company added a new bird to their flock,

It is a fixed Wing Peregrine Falcon. Next to our world famous Ornithopter Peregrine Falcon we created a Fixed wing Peregrine Falcon, (see specifications below).

Just as the ornithopter versions our fixed wing peregrine Falcon design has a flight performance comparable and indistinguishable to a real peregrine falcon. Through the combination of realistic silhouette and carefully mimicked flight behavior and enhanced flight performance, other birds think the falcon bird is a real predator. Because of these characteristics, the falcon drone bird is one of the most safe, humane, effective forms of bird control. It is the perfect tool for airport bird control and many other bird-related problems. Continue reading to learn more!

The Drone Bird Company is a forward-thinking Dutch technology company leading the world in the development of bird-shaped drones. We specialize in the development of fixed-wing and flapping-wing systems, and our drones are both available for purchase or as a service provided by our specially trained, highly skilled pilots. We solve pest bird problems in a non-lethal way with our flapping-wing falcon. The unique feature of this drone is its ability to chase birds away in the direction of choice out of harm’s way, without habituation. While the falcon drone bird has been in use commercially for the past several years, the latest addition to our flock has been in development: the AVES Series Larus.

This fixed-wing, gull model is the most ideal drone for covert surveillance, reconnaissance, and other types of monitoring. This is because it is virtually undetectable and indistinguishable from the real thing, for both humans and animals. AVES is quickly gaining interest from police, special forces, secret services, and military services from all over the world because of the unique flying platform. It is also ideal because of its modular payload, and because it can be modelled after any species most common to the client’s region, anywhere in the world. AVES provides accurate intelligence in a safe way.

Our drones are available for purchase or as a service provided by our specially trained, highly skilled pilots - solving bird control problems in a non-lethal way using birds’ own natural predator. The flapping-wing Falcon drone also has the unique ability to chase birds away in the direction of choice out of harm’s way, without habituation. This model, however, was just the starting point on a con- tinued path of development. As of 2021, The Drone Bird Company has added a few new additions to the flock - the AVES Series 1: Larus, Aquila, and our latest development a Fixed-Wing Peregrine Falcon.

INSPIRATION FOR THE DRONE BIRD COMPANY

The Drone Bird Company mimics nature, and its developers drew inspiration from ornithology, falconry, and model aviation. By studying the motion and behavior of birds, and combining technical expertise, our engineers produced a true-to-nature robotic bird. The Engineering Fluid Dynamics research group from the University of Twente provided research into aerodynamic properties. The Robotics and Mechatronics group helped to improve flight performance and safety using advanced autopilot software and hardware.

The Drone Bird Company offers new possibilities in the field of bird control, because of its base in nature itself. By triggering the instinct of birds through the combination of silhouette wing movement, speed and agility, chasing birds becomes fully controllable. The person on the ground is in control of what happens in the air. We offer custom made solutions for airport bird control, oil & gas, construction & dredging, windfarms and agricultural sector

PEREGRINE FALCON DESIGN

The peregrine falcon design is ideal because the falcon is a predator that hunts birds from higher altitudes in open areas like airports. Other predators like buzzards or hawks hunt lower to the ground for rodents, and pose a much lower threat to bird prey. It is also first choice among designs because falcons are the most widely recognized bird of prey on earth, and there are different varieties of the raptor on every continent. This feature makes it versatile enough to conduct operations anywhere.

The company consider all aspects of bird psychology in addition to appearance during the process of designing the falcon drone bird. The form of the current model relies on the understanding that birds have a keen cognitive ability. They learn to make distinctions between ‘same’ and ‘different’, i.e. AA same as BB but different from AB. They can learn and identify ‘harmful’ and ‘safe’, recognize objects and situations and ‘cause and effect’, share experiences, and have an outstanding memory. Because of these characteristics, most other bird hazing tools only work for a short time before birds habituate.

A Bird’s Natural Enemy

The most consistently effective bird hazing tool is a bird’s own natural enemy. Recent research and practical observations has shown when confronted with prey, they respond to three main factors: the silhouette, behavioral pattern and speed. Birds can tell when the predator is hunting by the flying behavior.

THE THE DRONE BIRD ADVANTAGE

Complete Control

As opposed to traditional falconry, the falcon drone bird does not need food, shelter, and training. It hunts any time, whenever necessary, and the pilot can change batteries rapidly when necessary. The falcon drone bird will always come back to the pilot, and thus reduces risk. It can be used alone, or alongside traditional falconry and other methods. Engineers equip each unit with safety measures, and test each one extensively, so they can assure they will not pose a hazard.

SAFE, HUMANE, AND EFFECTIVE BIRD CONTROL

Birds cannot distinguish between real predators and the falcon drone bird. Each type of bird reacts to the falcon drone bird in their own way. Their reaction depends on what activity they are in, such as loafing on water, perching in trees, aerial displaying, feeding on ground, etc. Current circumstances at time of interaction also play a role in how birds respond. The drone bird is also effective on larger species like geese, pelicans, cormorants, resident and migratory birds, and even other birds of prey.

Over several years, The Drone Bird Company team and partners tracked bird populations and bird strikes at each project. This allows for an analysis of changing bird populations, and gauging reactions of different bird species in different activities. Data suggests in most cases the drone bird is a highly safe, humane, and effective bird control, and birds do not habituate. This is likely due to the randomized, erratic, and aggressive nature of the techniques pilots use.

Herding & Vectoring

A common response when confronted with predators is for birds to gain altitude, and try to out-climb the predator. The drone bird can be used to herd broken flocks or swarming birds together. Often pilots fly around the flock and vector them in the direction of choice, and out of harm’s way. What’s more, The drone bird can change the flight path of migrating birds like geese. It intercepts them mid-flight, and pushes them away from the flight path of aircraft taking off or coming in to land.

Long-term Behavioral Change

With aggressive and consistent flight in a target location, the drone bird begins to reduce bird populations in those focus areas. In these and other instances, The Drone Bird Company field teams also use other wildlife management tools to reinforce the effect, such as pyrotechnics, long range acoustic hailing devices, and green lasers. After a few weeks birds begin to associate the location as high risk, and begin to stay away. Given the opportunity to work for an extended period in an area, birds begin nesting, feeding, and loafing elsewhere.

Still have questions about the most safe, humane, and effective bird control on the market?

Contact us at info@thedronebird.com, or submit your inquiry here.