Human-Wildlife Interactions at the Corvallis Airport

Small plane surrounded by geese — Aborted landing due to flock of geese at KCVO
March 22, 2022 (Photo by Kiri Wagstaff)

Bird strikes are a significant danger to pilots, especially in areas that attract a lot of wildlife. The KCVO airport just south of Corvallis, OR, sees a lot of bird activity due to its proximity to the Finley Wildlife Refuge and the unique population of Streaked Horned Larks that make the airport their home.

On October 20, 2024, an Alaska Airlines flight that took off from nearby Portland had to make an emergency landing after a bird strike. According to the FAA, wildlife strikes killed 464 people and destroyed more than 305 aircraft between 1988 and 2022.

Read on for more resources related to bird strike data plus advice and procedures from the FAA and other organizations. Fly with vigilance, and be sure to report any bird strikes to increase our knowledge of these events.

Tools you can use

Search the FAA Wildlife Strike database by airport, date range, aircraft type, wildlife type, etc. or report a bird strike to add to the database
Learn about Wildlife Strikes to Civil Aircraft in the United States 1990 – 2022 by the FAA and USDA (gripping reading)
When planning your next flight:

Consult the Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) which predicts the risk of bird strike by location using a combination of NEXRAD data, the SOAR model of soaring bird activity, and the Bird Avoidance Model of seasonal bird mass (U.S. Air Force)
Check the Birdcast for Benton County (or location of your choice), which estimates bird activity using radar data
Search eBird for statistics from citizen science reports of bird sightings (by species) in Benton County (or location of your choice)

Pie chart of wildlife strikes by animal (source: FAA) — Wildlife strikes by animal type (FAA data, my plot)

Procedures and advice

FAA Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program efforts and advice
FAA Advisory Circular 150/5200-32C on Reporting Wildlife Strikes
FAA letter on permits and procedures for using unmanned aircraft systems (drones) to disperse wildlife at airports (Oct. 3, 2023)
Learn how the Smithsonian Feather Identification Lab identifies strike remains ("snarge")
Browse the Corvallis city airport master plan and especially review Appendix G (Wildlife perimeter)

Corvallis airport birds

Streaked horned lark in snow — Streaked horned lark
(Randy Moore, OSU)

The Streaked Horned Lark

Airports can both displace local wildlife populations and also create desirable habitat for some species, like the streaked horned lark. This lark is a threatened species, with less than 2,000 remaining individuals. It prefers large, flat, open (treeless) areas with sparse vegetation, so airports are naturally attractive. In particular, the Corvallis airport is home to the largest breeding population in existence. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls this airport "Larktopia." The airport is a great home for the larks, but the airplanes are a danger.

For more information, see the Proceedings of the 2011 workshop on "Streaked Horned Lark and Pacific Northwest Airports" (Nature Conservancy), particularly p. 58-59 on "Streaked Horned Larks and the Corvallis Airport" by Dr. Randy Moore (OSU)

Red-tailed hawk sitting on taxiway light — Red-tailed hawk at KSLE
(Kiri Wagstaff)

Dusky Canada goose

The William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1964 to provide habitat for the Dusky Canada goose (5,325 acres). It is only 5 miles south of the Corvallis airport, leading to frequent geese visitors during migration times.

Other birds

There are many other species to be found in and around the Corvallis airport, including red-tailed hawks, meadowlarks, and herons. You can browse eBird to see which birds are most common at what times of the year.

About this page

This resource was created as part of my capstone project for the Oregon Master Naturalist program. My interests in aviation and wildlife inspired me to learn more about the frequency and risks of conflicts between aircraft and birds. My goal was to create a resource to help raise awareness about these conflicts and to provide pilots with useful tools to reduce the chances of collisions between birds and aircraft. You can view my Oregon Master Naturalist capstone presentation that summarizes what I learned.