Birmingham, AL – Newly released records show Alabama airport officials reported 715 incidents of birds striking aircraft from 1990 until July 2009.
Federal Aviation Administration data shows about 450 of those were reported by the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
The data follows several recent high-profile incidents of aircraft striking birds, including that of an aircraft landing on New York's Hudson River following a strike there.
John Eagerton IV is chief of the Aeronautics Bureau of the Alabama Department of Transportation. He says airport officials have been reluctant to release the bird strike information for fear of garnering a reputation for dangerous facilities.
Birmingham airport officials say they are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to manage local habitat to deter birds nearby.
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