Researchers from Washington State University Design Drones to Deter Pest Birds in Agricultural Fields

Pest birds damage commercial crops and cause significant problems to farmers across the globe. Today, there is a growing interest in developing a cost-effective and automated pest bird deterrence system due to the adverse impact it does on the economy.

The research team from the Washington State University has recently developed a system designed to have automated drones available to patrol 24 hours a day to scare away pest birds, such as European starlings or crows. These unmanned aerial vehicles can work without a human nearby to drive off the avian irritants.

(Photo : Pixabay/Herney)
Drones Designed to Patrol 24 Hours A Day in Agricultural Fields to Deter Pest Birds

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Use to Patrol Agricultural Fields

There is no good tool for deterring pest birds at an affordable price. Associate professor Manoj Karkee, the study's corresponding author, says that with further refinement and industry partnerships, the system could be built.

The team conducted two separate tests in which one was to detect birds and the other was to deploy automated drones in agricultural fields. Karkee and his team have created a camera system and algorithm that could detect birds and count them as they fly around the fields, Phys.org reported.

The small drones they created are deployed for flight tests on small plots with birds flying. Technically, the technology is inspired by the drone package delivery system but with some revisions. Recognizing that birds are clever animals, WSU researchers aimed for a deterrence system that would scare away birds not just for months until they learn to be not scared of them.

Karkee said that experiments show that birds are scared of the motion and whirring noises of the drones. But the team is also thinking of adding distress calls or predatory bird noises to reinforce fear among pest birds.

They are also thinking of building drones that look like predators or have reflective propellers that will keep away birds from crops, especially the high-valued ones.

The automation research is the third of a series of three studies that aim to use drones to deter pest birds. The first study was manually operated and did random flights, which successfully drove off the birds from vineyards. The second study showed the impact of deterring birds to crop yield in which they found a 50% reduction in damaged fruits.

The team described in full their automated drones in the study titled "Automated Execution of a Pest Bird Deterrence System Using a Programmable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)," published in the journal Computers and Electronics in Agriculture.

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Birds as Agricultural Pests

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan regularly conduct a study every year to determine the damage created by pest birds, according to Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC). In the East Asian country, the major pest bird species are the carrion and jungle crow, tree sparrows, ducks, Brown-eared bulbuls, and two species of doves and pigeons.

Among those pest birds, crows are considered the most harmful in terms of the amount of produce they eat and areas they could damage. They could destroy a range of crops, including fruits and vegetables.

Brown-eared bulbuls come in second after crows since these birds eat citrus fruits and vegetables during the winter season. Lastly, pigeons and doves target legumes, while gray sparrows eat Japanese pears and other fruits.