Pest birds, which cause significant damage to fruit crops during Tasmania’s harvest season, are a seasonal challenge, particularly in November. Implementing UAV automation inspired by animal flocking behavior is key to improving the versatility and efficiency of UAVs in pest control. However, a universal, cost-effective solution has yet to be developed.

In this case, we deployed a DJI Dock drone over an orchard in Tasmania to observe the behavior of bird flocks in real-world conditions. Our solution revealed that using DJI dock drones for pest control is an effective method for automatically deterring birds and protecting the orchard’s cherries.