Birds and insects as radar targets: A review

• Published in: Proceedings of the IEEE Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 205 - 227
• Main Author: Vaughn, C.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS IEEE 01-02-1985; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Subjects: Aggregates; Applied sciences; Bandwidth; Birds; Clutter; Communications And Radar; Doppler radar; Exact sciences and technology; Insects; Polarization; Radar cross section; Radiolocalization and radionavigation; Reflectivity; Resonance; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; Radar target; Cross section; Clutter; Modeling; Radar echo; Radar
• ISSN: 0018-9219; 1558-2256
• DOI: 10.1109/PROC.1985.13134

A review of radar cross-section measurements of birds and insects is presented. A brief discussion of some possible theoretical models is also given and comparisons made with the measurements. The comparisons suggest that most targets are, at present, better modeled by a prolate spheroid having a length-to-width ratio between 3 and 10 than by the often used equivalent weight water sphere. In addition, many targets observed with linear horizontal polarization have maximum cross sections much better estimated by a resonant half-wave dipole than by a water sphere. Also considered are birds and insects in the aggregate as a local radar "clutter" source. Order-of-magnitude estimates are given for many reasonable target number densities. These estimates are then used to predict X-band volume reflectivities. Other topics that are of interest to the radar engineer are discussed, including the doppler bandwidth due to the internal motions of a single bird, the radar cross-section probability densities of single birds and insects, the variability of the functional form of the probability density functions, and the Fourier spectra of single birds and insects.