Drones, big birds team up to keep planes safe at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario

It’s a bird, it’s a plane … or it could be one of 10 drones used by wildlife management experts at Pearson Airport in Mississauga to help ensure hundreds of departing and arriving aircraft lift off and touch down safely each day.

The drones, some of which are shaped like planes and birds, Pearson officials say, work in tandem with 25 real birds of prey to help keep the five runways and airspace at and around Canada’s biggest and busiest airport clear of smaller birds that can endanger planes in motion.

And human team members orchestrate the entire show.

Airport officials say the drones can reach speeds of 120 km/h as they fly “in a designated perimeter” around Pearson.

“What do medieval practices and modern tech have in common?” airport officials said in a post to social media on Tuesday. “Both fly, dip, dive and work in tandem to control wildlife at the airport. Using birds of prey and drones gives (wildlife management workers) the ability to detect, monitor and manage wildlife. By combining the two practices, the team can mitigate wildlife disruptions on the airfield while ensuring the dual use does not become commonplace and ultimately ineffective against wildlife.”

The drones used by Falcon Environmental, a North American leader in management of nuisance wildlife at airports and landfill sites, are capable of working around-the-clock at Pearson.

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The company has been using birds of prey at Pearson since 1999 and more recently added drones to the mix.

“The use of drones allows the airport to monitor wildlife at night using thermal imaging, feed video footage back to the operator and work without the need to rest,” airport officials said. “These drones, combined with the roughly 25 birds of prey, keep the airport airspace clear for the over 1,000 planes that arrive and depart each day.”

Ivan, a 24-year-old bald eagle, has been on duty at Pearson Airport since 2001. (Photo: Pearson Airport X)

Leading the birds of prey component of the team is Ivan, a 24-year-old bald eagle who’s been on patrol at Pearson since 2001 when he joined the wildlife management team. He weighs seven pounds, making him the largest of the airport’s birds, and can reach speeds of over 50 km/h in normal flight and more than double that speed when diving.

Darryn Carter, Ivan’s handler and a member of Pearson’s wildlife management team, each day releases the striking bird of prey to complete his task (see video below).

Along with their human handlers and the 10 drones, the large birds that comprise Ivan’s team reduce the number of smaller birds “and thus the chances of an airplane experiencing a bird strike,” Pearson officials said earlier.

Bird strikes have been the cause of numerous plane crashes over the years in Canada and the U.S. resulting in loss of human life. Still, the number of such incidents is very low, according to aviation authorities.

Look who's taking flight…it’s Ivan!

He was out for a patrol of the river today to keep wildlife away from Toronto Pearson's five runways.

His flight path takes him along this river, to a perch near the runway where a snack is waiting for him. After a bite to eat, he returned… pic.twitter.com/r6sp7v3lMc

— Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) April 9, 2024