SREL Reprint #3786

Inefficacy of mallard flight responses to approaching vehicles

Shane Guenin1,2, Carson J. Pakula1,2, Jonathon Skaggs1, Esteban Fernández-Juricic3,
and Travis L. DeVault1

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
2Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
3Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Abstract: Vehicle collisions with birds are financially costly and dangerous to humans and animals. To reduce collisions, it is necessary to understand how birds respond to approaching vehicles. We used simulated (i.e., animals exposed to video playback) and real vehicle approaches with mallards (Anas platyrynchos) to quantify flight behavior and probability of collision under different vehicle speeds and times of day (day vs. night). Birds exposed to simulated nighttime approaches exhibited reduced probability of attempting escape, but when escape was attempted, fled with more time before collision compared to birds exposed to simulated daytime approaches. The lower probability of flight may indicate that the visual stimulus of vehicle approaches at night (i.e., looming headlights) is perceived as less threatening than when the full vehicle is more visible during the day; alternatively, the mallard visual system might be incompatible with vehicle lighting in dark settings. Mallards approached by a real vehicle exhibited a delayed margin of safety (both flight initiation distance and time before collision decreased with speed); they are the first bird species found to exhibit this response to vehicle approach. Our findings suggest mallards are poorly equipped to adequately respond to fast-moving vehicles and demonstrate the need for continued research into methods promoting effective avian avoidance behaviors.

Keywords: Mallard, Wildlife-vehicle interaction, Flight initiation distance, Antipredator behavior, Avoidance behavior, Video playback, Wildlife damage management

SREL Reprint #3786

Guenin, S., C. J. Pakula, J. Skaggs, E. Fernández-Juricic, and T. L. DeVault. 2024. Inefficacy of mallard flight responses to approaching vehicles. PeerJ (18124).

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).