RT Journal Article
T1 The role of predictable feeding sources in raptor exposure to airport airspace: A case study of black kites in central Spain
T2 El papel de las fuentes de alimentación predecibles en la exposición de las aves rapaces al espacio aéreo aeroportuario: Un caso de estudio de milanos negros en el centro de España
A1 Oltra Riestra, Juan
A1 Pérez-García, Juan Manuel
A1 Toledo, Bernardo
A1 Frías, Oscar
A1 Blanco, Guillermo
A1 Carrete, Martina
K1 Airports
K1 Black kites
K1 Collisions
K1 Landfills
K1 Movement ecology
K1 RaptorStrikes
AB Bird-aircraft collisions pose serious safety risks and economic costs, especially near urban areas where landfills attract large numbers of foraging birds. Madrid, home to four airports and Europe's largest known seasonal concentrations of black kites (Milvus migrans) near a major landfill, represents as a potential conflict zone. This study tracked 15 non-breeding black kites using GPS telemetry over three years to evaluate whether their movements compromise aviation safety. Results revealed a strong preference for roosting sites and adjacent landfills, while airports and their surroundings (1, 8 and 13 km buffers) were largely avoided. Flights over airports were infrequent and mostly over the largest airport, likely due to its size and nearby habitat with abundant wild prey. Airport use peak in June, coinciding with maximum numbers of highly mobile immatures and non-breeders (floaters), with midday being the most active period. Use of the study area -including airports and their surroundings-decreased as birds aged. Although black kites were the most frequently recorded species in bird strike incidents at Madrid airports, collisions were low relative to their high local abundance, suggesting a lower-than-expected collision frequency. Nonetheless, targeted habitat management such as reducing prey availability near airports could further mitigate risks posed by black kites and other larger, more hazardous species. This study highlights the value of tracking animal movements to address and solve human-wildlife conflicts in critical infrastructure areas.
PB Elsevier
YR 2025
FD 2025-06-02
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10433/24180
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10433/24180
LA en
NO Oltra, Juan; Pérez-García, Juan Manuel; Toledo, Bernardo; Frías, Óscar; Blanco, Guillermo; Carrete, Martina. 2025. The role of predictable feeding sources in raptor exposure to airport airspace: A case study of black kites in central Spain. Journal of Environmental Management vol. 389, art. 126074. ISSN 0301-4797. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126074.
NO Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, ES-41013 Seville, Spain
NO Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University of Elche, Elche, Spain
NO Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 41092, Seville, Spain
NO Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
DS RIO
RD May 23, 2026