“Bird strikes destroy planes, kill people and birds, and cause an estimated $700 million in damage each year in the US alone.”

Early studies suggest that using what we know about avian sight – birds see a wider color space and have a higher sensitivity to ultraviolet light than we do – may help them avoid collisions.

“Researchers have found that blue LED lights (with a wavelength of 470 nm) are the most conspicuous to brown-headed cowbirds, which often collide with aircraft.” Preliminary proposals for changes at airports are included in the study.

Read more by Ian Randall on ScienceShot here.