The BCIA is the first civil airport in China to repel birds with hawks. (Photo/Tao Ran)

A Harris's hawk, a Eurasian sparrow hawk and a saker falcon are now working at Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) to help prevent bird strikes.

The BCIA is the first civil airport in China to repel birds with hawks, explained Hu Chenggao, manager of the BCIA's bird control department.

"Many of China's airports are not as busy as the BCIA, so they enjoy more relaxed bird control," he explained, adding that the BCIA has to innovate and try every possible method to repel birds.

According to relevant civil aviation departments, the number of bird strikes has increased this year. Over 70 bird strikes occurred in August and September alone in North China, with some causing damage to planes as they took off or landed.

Hu noted that the addition of hawks is a process of exploration for them to repel the birds from the movement area without posing a threat to the planes.

If the hawks and planes are flying at different heights, bird control will allow the hawks to fly freely; however, if there's overlap between the heights, the hawks will be roped, so they can operate within a controlled range.

BCIA established a professional bird control team in 1998. Based on years of observation, the have revealed that a total of 139 bird species are active in and around the airport.