Falcons drafted in to scare off defecating starlings from Rome

Plan to clean up Italian capital condemned as barbaric by animal rights campaigners

Angela Giuffrida in Rome

Fri 23 Nov 2018 12.09 GMTLast modified on Fri 23 Nov 2018 12.32 GMT

Authorities in Rome have enlisted falcons to scare off defecating starlings, as the Italian capital plays host to a growing menagerie of animals, including gulls, wild boars and sheep.

Starlings pass through the city in late autumn as they migrate to warmer climes for winter, soiling its cobblestones and riverbanks with sticky guano and bothering residents and tourists, who often use umbrellas to avoid the droppings.

Part of the road that runs along the Tiber River was closed earlier this week because the birds had left so much excrement, prompting authorities to call on a team of falconers. It is unclear when the birds of prey will take to the skies, but their job will be to frighten the starlings away from their nesting spots, such as the trees along the streets.

The Rome department in charge of environmental sustainability said the measure constituted a “cruelty-free, ecological and natural solution” to the starling problem.

Animal rights activists condemned the initiative as “barbaric”. “The environmental sustainability council says that using hawks to fight starlings is ‘cruelty-free, ecological and natural’ – these are shameful words that justify what is a cruel and anachronistic method,” said Rinaldo Sidoli, a communication manager for Animalisti Italiani.

He added that the deterrent violated a municipal rule which prohibits the “release into the environment of birds, except those treated by authorised wild animal recovery centres”.

An initiative involving falcons in 2015 also drew criticism. Previous city authorities experimented with playing recordings of starling distress calls in an attempt to get the birds, who tend to descend on the city at dusk, to flee.

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Vladimir Putin uses trained birds of prey to take down drones sent by spies or ISIS and guard his Kremlin HQ

FALCON CRAZY 

Falcons have been taught to swoop on rogue unmanned aircraft over Russia's seat of government in Moscow

By Patrick Knox

31st January 2018, 11:10 am

Updated: 31st January 2018, 1:17 pm

RUSSIAN strongman leader Vladimir Putin has specially trained birds of prey guarding his Kremlin HQ from drones, it's been revealed.

The fortified seat of government in Moscow has long used birds of prey to chase away pesky crows.

A Russian soldier from the Presidential regiment holds his falcon at the Cathedral Square outside the Moscow's Kremlin

But now falcons have been trained to take out drones amid fears spies could use them - or worse ISIS use them as a weapon.  

It is understood the raptor birds are better able to target small drones than hawks.

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Rome enlists Texan falcons to tackle problem of starling droppings

Cars, streets and the odd pedestrian have been showered with faeces

Rome is hoping five Texan falcons will be able scare away the thousands of starlings that are showering cars, streets, and the odd pedestrian with their droppings.

Along the banks of the River Tiber, in particular, where the huge flocks congregate in the trees, stationary cars and bikes are often covered in their faeces. Roads are left slippery and treacherous.

So serious is the problem that the city’s authorities are resorting to the falcons to deter the starlings from massing in the city, to which they are attracted as a safe place to roost. 

Sabrina Alfonsi, president of Rome’s central municipality, said a three-day trial of the birds of prey proved successful, so she is now looking to continue with the deterrent.

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Falcons to be welcomed on board Lufthansa flights

German airline to allow passengers to take birds of prey in cabin in move targeted at Middle East falconry enthusiasts

 

Catherine Edwards and agencies

Monday 8 December 2014 13.58 GMT

The German airline Lufthansa announced on Monday that in the coming months falcons are to be allowed in the cabin during flights in a specially designed “Falcon Master” tray.

“The Falcon Master ensures maximum hygienic protection of the cabin walls, seats and carpets from soiling by the birds,” the airline said in a statement.

The device is now in the design phase, and the certification process would likely take six to nine months before it is ready for use, a Lufthansa spokeswoman told AFP.

The target group would be customers from the Middle East, where falconry is “very popular”, said the statement.

While most airlines will allow a small domesticated cat or dog to travel with their owners in the cabin, provided it stays in its carrier or kennel under the seat and complies with the weight allowance (usually 6-9kg), American airlines United and Spirit also allow domestic birds, but not poultry or birds of prey.

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Falcon feathers pop up during dive

Date:

February 6, 2014

Source:

PLOS

Summary:

Similar to wings and fins with self-adaptive flaps, the feathers on a diving peregrine falcon's feathers may pop up during high speed dives.

Similar to wings and fins with self-adaptive flaps, the feathers on a diving peregrine falcon's feathers may pop up during high speed dives, according to a study published in PLOS ONE on February 5, 2014 by Benjamin Ponitz from the Institute of Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics in Germany and colleagues.

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Attack! How Falcons Stalk Their Prey in Flight

By Denise Chow, Staff Writer | January 15, 2014 06:02pm ET

When a falcon swoops through the air and spots a flock of birds, these crafty predators use a special aerial attack strategy to capture prey in midflight, according to a new study.

To gain insight into the hunting practices of falcons, researchers at Haverford College in Haverford, Pa., outfitted falcons across the United States and Europe with miniature helmet- and backpack-mounted video cameras to record footage of raptor attacks in action.

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Falcons 'rapidly evolved' hunting skills

By Ella Davies Reporter, BBC Nature

Falcons rapidly evolved their renowned hunting skills, a study has found.

Scientists from Cardiff University have sequenced the genome of peregrine and saker falcons for the first time.

Research revealed that compared with other species, these birds of prey have been subjected to fierce competition and pressures, leading them to adapt quickly in order to survive.

Investigation of the genes responsible for the birds' unique beaks highlighted this rapid development.

The name falcon comes from the Latin word falco, meaning hook shaped and refers to the birds' strongly curved beaks.

"We have been able to determine that specific genes, regulating beak development, have had to evolve to withstand the pressure of impacting their prey at a speed of up to 300 kilometres an hour," explained Professor Mike Bruford, who authored the paper published in the journal Nature Genetics.

"The shape of the falcon beak has also had had to evolve to be capable of tearing at the flesh of its prey."

Continued: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21885659

Customs Service Thwarts Attempt to Smuggle 29 Rare Falcons

NOVOSIBIRSK/ABAKAN, November 9 (RIA Novosti) - An attempt to smuggle 29 rare falcons worth about $127,000 out of Russia has been thwarted, the Siberian customs department said on Friday.

In July, two men, one from the UAE and the other from Bangladesh, brought 29 falcons into Russia under the pretext of keeping them in more comfortable conditions during the UAE's hot summer. They said they planned to return the birds in autumn.

In August the local sanitary, veterinary and biodiversity authorities examined the birds, which were being kept in an enclosure near the Siberian city of Chernogorsk, and compiled a detailed report on their condition.

However, another examination carried out two months later produced some alarming results: the birds' identification rings gave different ages and genders. "Some birds even "changed" their species - gyrfalcons turned into Peregrine and Saker falcons," the Siberian customs department said.

It became clear that their owners had planned to replace the birds which were too old and unfit for falconry with younger ones, caught by Russian poachers.

The birds were seized and temporarily taken to a rare birds sanctuary in the Republic of Altai. Their value is estimated at 4 million rubles ($127,000).

Their owners were charged with attempted smuggling and face up to seven years in prison if found guilty.

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20121109/177327088.html