AIM 

3/21/24 

a. 

Geographic location. 

b. 

Bird type (geese, ducks, gulls, etc.). 

c. 

Approximate numbers. 

d. 

Altitude. 

e. 

Direction of bird flight path. 

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5.  Pilot Advisories on Bird and Other Wildlife Hazards 

Many airports advise pilots of other wildlife hazards caused by large animals on the runway through the Chart 

Supplement and the NOTAM system. Collisions of landing and departing aircraft and animals on the runway are 

increasing and are not limited to rural airports. These accidents have also occurred at several major airports. Pilots 

should exercise extreme caution when warned of the presence of wildlife on and in the vicinity of airports. If you 

observe deer or other large animals in close proximity to movement areas, advise the FSS, tower, or airport 

management. 

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6.  Flights Over Charted U.S. Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forest Service Areas 

a. 

The landing of aircraft is prohibited on lands or waters administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, or U.S. Forest Service without authorization from the respective agency. Exceptions 

include: 

1. 

When forced to land due to an emergency beyond the control of the operator; 

2. 

At officially designated landing sites; or 

3. 

An approved official business of the Federal Government. 

b. 

Pilots are requested to maintain a minimum altitude of 2,000 feet above the surface of the following: 

National Parks, Monuments, Seashores, Lakeshores, Recreation Areas and Scenic Riverways administered by 

the National Park Service, National Wildlife Refuges, Big Game Refuges, Game Ranges and Wildlife Ranges 

administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Wilderness and Primitive areas administered by the U.S. 

Forest Service. 

NOTE

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FAA Advisory Circular AC 91

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36, Visual Flight Rules (VFR) Flight Near Noise-Sensitive Areas, defines the surface of a 

national park area (including parks, forests, primitive areas, wilderness areas, recreational areas, national seashores, 

national monuments, national lakeshores, and national wildlife refuge and range areas) as: the highest terrain within 2,000 

feet laterally of the route of flight, or the upper-most rim of a canyon or valley. 

c. 

Federal statutes prohibit certain types of flight activity and/or provide altitude restrictions over designated 

U.S. Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forest Service Areas. These designated areas, for example: Boundary Waters 

Canoe Wilderness Areas, Minnesota; Haleakala National Park, Hawaii; Yosemite National Park, California; and 

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, are charted on Sectional Charts. 

d. 

Federal regulations also prohibit airdrops by parachute or other means of persons, cargo, or objects from 

aircraft on lands administered by the three agencies without authorization from the respective agency. Exceptions 

include: 

1. 

Emergencies involving the safety of human life; or 

2. 

Threat of serious property loss. 

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Bird Hazards and Flight Over National Refuges, Parks, and Forests