Duck! Study shows mallards struggle to avoid cars and planes

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Mallards are a danger to themselves and people as they are ill equipped to avoid collisions with cars and aircraft, warns new research.

There is an urgent need for improved methods to reduce dangerous and costly bird-vehicle collisions, say scientists.

Researchers used state-of-the-art technology to assess the common breed of duck's response to approaching vehicles.

The findings, published in the journal PeerJ Life & Environment , showed that mallards are "poorly equipped" to avoid collisions, particularly at high speeds.

The research team says the study, which used both simulated and real-world vehicle approaches, highlights the "urgent" need for improved methods to reduce bird-vehicle collisions - incidents that are not only financially costly but also dangerous to both humans and wildlife.

The study focused on the behavior of mallards when exposed to vehicles approaching at different speeds and under varying light conditions.

Results showed that mallards demonstrated a "reduced likelihood" of attempting escape when faced with simulated night-time vehicle approaches.

However, when they did attempt to flee, they did so with more time to spare compared to daytime scenarios.

Lead researcher Shane Geunin said: “Our findings suggest that the looming headlights of vehicles at night may not be perceived as a significant threat by mallards.

"The lights visible at night are a more abstract stimulus than a predator or the body of a vehicle visible during the day, and may not provoke the same level of threat response needed to adequately respond.

"Mallard visual systems may also not be well adapted to low-light settings or attuned to standard vehicle lighting."

Mallards' responses were further tested using real vehicles, where they showed an additional "concerning" behaviour - a delayed margin of safety.

Both the distance at which birds initiated flight and the time available to avoid a collision decreased as vehicle speed increased.

The research team said the findings mark mallards as the first bird species known to exhibit such a response to vehicles, making high-speed encounters especially dangerous.

The findings showed that mallards exposed to night-time vehicle approaches were less likely to attempt escape

The study suggests mallards are "wholly unequipped" to respond to vehicles at high speeds, with successful escapes occurring in less than 20% of approaches at the take-off speed of aircraft (150mph).

Researchers say the delayed margin of safety observed in mallards poses particular concern for airports and roads near water bodies where the birds frequently congregate.

Despite efforts to reduce the presence of wildlife in such areas, complete separation is often impractical due to the birds’ adaptability to human environments.

Geunin, of Purdue University in Indiana, said: "With mallards being active at night, particularly during migration, the risk of collisions is heightened, especially for aircraft.

"Most mallard strikes occur below 1,000 meters, suggesting that low-altitude flights during migration months pose the greatest danger."

The research team recommend that aircraft and vehicle operations should be minimised as much as practical during night hours and peak migration periods to reduce the risk of bird strikes.

Geunin added: "The research underscores the need for ongoing studies into avian avoidance behaviors and encourages the development of innovative solutions to improve safety for both humans and wildlife."