Data for analysis of blackbird flock responses toward a spraying drone in an agroecosystem: Importance of flock size, habitat, and time of day

Name: Data for analysis of blackbird flock responses toward a spraying drone in an agroecosystem: Importance of flock size, habitat, and time of day
Published: 2026-05-31
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) US Department of Agriculture; US Forest Service

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
NWRC-RDS-2024-006.zip	application/zip	8.7 KB	05/30/2026 01:25:PM
NWRC-RDS-2024-006_Metadata_Fileindex.zip	application/zip	16.6 KB	05/30/2026 01:25:PM
catalog_detail.pdf	application/pdf	117.1 KB	05/30/2026 11:30:PM
file_index.pdf	application/pdf	61.9 KB	05/30/2026 01:25:PM
metadata.pdf	application/pdf	170.4 KB	05/30/2026 01:25:PM

Project Citation:

US Department of Agriculture, and US Forest Service. Data for analysis of blackbird flock responses toward a spraying drone in an agroecosystem: Importance of flock size, habitat, and time of day. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-05-31. https://doi.org/10.3886/E248792V1

Project Description

Project Title: Data for analysis of blackbird flock responses toward a spraying drone in an agroecosystem: Importance of flock size, habitat, and time of day

Summary: We evaluated flock responses to a drone capable of spraying when first approached and with 10 minutes of hazing to inform protocols for delivering repellents on agricultural landscapes. We used eye-in-the-sky drones to video the drone with spraying capabilities and capture if flocks took flight within 80 meters (i.e., range of potential spray drift). We measured flight initiation distance (FID) when close approach occurred (i.e., drone ≤80 meters from flock). While hazing, we piloted the drone to 1) repeatedly cut through a flock and create chaos or 2) move along the flock edge to herd birds out of target habitat (i.e., sunflower or cattail). We recorded abandonment, flock reduction, and return rate of birds in response to drone hazing. This study was implemented between September 2019 through October 2020 in multiple counties in North Dakota, USA where blackbird damage to sunflowers is prevalent. This data publication contains the data and R code used to analyze these data.

Original Distribution URL: https://www.fs.usda.gov/rds/archive/catalog/NWRC-RDS-2024-006

Scope of Project

Subject Terms: biota; Ecology; Ecosystems; Environment; Wildlife (or Fauna); Birds; antipredator behavior; crop damage; deterrent; human-wildlife conflict; unmanned aerial vehicle; UAV; unoccupied aircraft system; UAS; vertebrate pests; visual deterrent; North Dakota

Geographic Coverage: North Dakota

Time Period(s): 9/1/2019 – 10/1/2020

Data Type(s): observational data; program source code

Collection Notes: DOI: https://doi.org/10.2737/NWRC-RDS-2024-006 Authors: White, Mallory G. ; Duttenhefner, Jessica L. ; Klug, Page E. Publication year: 2025 (Downloaded 2026-05-30)

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