NEW YORK - The problem of birds living near some of the busiest airports in the U.S. is coming under renewed scrutiny after two emergency landings in a week.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday proposed making it easier to round up geese from a federal refuge near Kennedy Airport and kill them, an idea some wildlife advocates oppose.
A Florida-bound JetBlue plane made an emergency landing at an airport north of New York City on Tuesday. A Los Angeles-bound jet made an emergency landing at Kennedy Airport after a bird strike a week ago. No one was hurt.
Birds can shatter windshields, dent fuselages and ruin engines. Gillibrand's bill would empower federal authorities to remove Canada geese from the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge during June and July when they are molting and can't fly.
