lomapaseo, I heard the below on NPR's "All Things Considered" Friday 01/16/2009 "Team Works to Identify Birds Hit By Planes". Interview with Carla Bird of the Feather Identification Lab in the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History. Bird remains from aircraft wind up at the Smithsonian. About 4,000 bird strikes occured in 2008 (most with no damage). Bird pureed bird goo on aircraft is called 'SNARGE' (our word for the day). And at the end she describes the smallest bird that has damaged an aircraft golden crowned kinglet at 4 grams caused $74,000 to a US Air Force aircraft. In the second interview, Carla Bird describes how deer DNA from a 1,500 foot bird strike occurred.
There are two audio stories here. Its illuminating to listen to both.
Team Works To Identify Birds Hit By Planes : NPR
Best wishes,
Jim