Edmonton International Airport employs a 21^st century solution to keep birds away from aircraft — drones.

The Robirds drones, created by Clear Flight Solutions, are being used in Edmonton in place of more traditional methods of scaring birds away from runaways, which included everything from setting off fireworks to employing snipers. The Robird is not only the size and shape of a falcon, but also flaps its wings to fly, giving the drone a life-like experience.

“When a predator is introduced in an ecosystem, the system will adapt to the new circumstances,” said Clear Flight Solutions. “Birds will learn to avoid the active hunting grounds of a bird of prey, with bird numbers dropping by as much as 50 percent or more, depending on the location and surroundings. Because the Robirds trigger the instinct of birds, there are no chances of habituation in the long term.”

With the open space and locations often in coastal areas, airports are attractive habitats for birds. Bird strikes are among the biggest hazards in aviation, causing damage to aircraft and leading to crashes. The emergency landing of US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009 resulted from Canadian geese sucked into the Airbus A320’s engines upon take-off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The drones are said to fly near, but never over, airport runaways.