3) Chicago O’Hare, Illinois, 2,346 reported incidents.
A strong deterrence program, geography, weather, seasonal migration patterns, and luck are among the reasons that airplane bird strikes are not as frequent near Chicago's airports as they are around some other U.S. airports, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has full-time wildlife experts at O'Hare International and Midway Airports. Working with the FAA, the Chicago Department of Aviation, and other agencies, the teams carry out daily patrols to clear the airfields of bird nests, small-animal carcasses, and debris that could attract intruders. The strategies range from shooting off propane cannons near runways to scare bird flocks to planting grasses that do not appeal to animals.
4) JFK International, New York, 1,811 reported incidents.
Sprawled along the edge of a giant coastal wetlands area, John F. Kennedy International Airport shares airspace with thousands of birds — many of which wind up as carcasses on the runways after colliding with aircraft, writes the Associated Press.
