US Navy developing autonomous drone to prevent bird eggs from hatching near airfields

Tests of quadcopter to finish in June 2022, at which point it may become commercially available to airports and others

The US Navy is developing an autonomous drone that is designed to prevent bird eggs from hatching near airfields.

The Pentagon spends around $50m a year managing bird life around airfields as aircraft being struck by birds pose a security risk.

The process used is called oiling, and involves covering eggs with food-grade oil which blocks the pores in the eggshells and prevents the embryos inside from receiving oxygen.