Protecting Crops From Birds, Using Sound

A sonic shield could safely drive birds away from farm fields and tall buildings.

By Leah Shaffer
Oct 2, 2014 12:00 AMMay 16, 2019 7:01 PM
starling
A flock of starlings in an agricultural field. Martchan/Shutterstock

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Farmers aren’t much better than scarecrows when it comes to protecting harvests from pesky birds: Avian interlopers cost the United States roughly $1.9 billion each year in crop losses and damage control. Now researchers have landed on a potential solution that uses speakers to send out a directional buzzing noise — a sonic shield — to keep feathered pests away from farm fields as well as tall buildings.

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