That's the usual excuse, however bird strikes are rare, and Mr. Boeing is perfectly happy with anything up to 320kts to low altitude, so I think it is a bit constipated to artificially decide 250kts will 'do'. If people want to fly their own particular limitation of 250kts, then that's fine, but not with me on board please- I'm always in too much of a hurry, with a schedule to keep thank you very much! Terribly sorry for the birdie, but we can't keep sharing the same bit of sky- you lose! I like birds- I was feeding swans and ducks just yesterday, and they live outside my house. They can rule up to 1000'. Above that, it belongs to Boeings and Airbuses