JFK bird-culling plan

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. (WIVB) - Critics are crying foul over a plan to control bird populations near New York City's JFK Airport.

Under a proposal from the U.S. department of Agriculture, staffers would be authorized to kill a half-dozen bird species within a five-mile radius of the airport.

The intent is to reduce the number of bird strikes on planes.

Environmentalists tell the Daily News that the measures need to be examined more carefully.

They say the plan conflicts with a multimillion-dollar federal effort to restore nearby wetland habitats for migratory birds.

Birds that could be killed under the plan include Canada geese, mute swans, double-crested cormorants, blackbirds, crows, rock pigeons and European starlings.
 

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has proposed legislation that would bypass the environmental impact review process for the plan.