Robotic birds that look and fly like the real thing

A Dutch designer has come up with unique remote-controlled robotic birds that look and fly exactly like the real creatures and act as a deterrent to flocks of nuisance birds.
Brainchild of Nico Nijenhuis from Clear Flight Solutions in The Netherlands, the 'Robirds' actually flap their wings to fly, and in a way that makes them remarkably similar to the real thing.
"Birds are beautiful creatures. However, if you work in aviation, waste management or agriculture, you will be aware that birds can be a very tough problem to deal with. Birds are not only a nuisance, they can also be a serious threat to safety in aviation," the creators wrote on their website.

The Robird is an environmentally-friendly solution for all such bird-related problems, they wrote.
According to the creators, the Robird can fly in and around problem areas, encouraging nuisance birds to leave by exploiting the natural instinct of birds to avoid predators, particularly through silhouette and wing movement recognition, 'Gizmag' reported.
The creators claim that as the system is fully remote controlled by an operator on the ground, difficult birds can be persuaded to leave by singling them out with the Robird to chase them away.

Targeted bird populations learn to avoid what they perceive as the active stalking grounds of a bird of prey and that bird numbers in the areas of Robird operation drop by 50 per cent or more, according to the creators.

The Robirds virtually eliminate the chances of nuisance bird flock habituation in the long term, the report said.
With a body length of up to 58 cm and a wingspan of 120 cm the peregrine falcon model can reach 80 km/h and is designed to act as a deterrent to birds of up to 3 kg.
The eagle model is even more intimidating. With a body length nearly twice the length of the falcon and wingspan of up to 220 cm, this robot bird is designed to scare off any type of bird.