Google’s Wing Delivery Drones vs. Angry Birds Attack Forces it to Halt Operation in Australia

Google's Wing delivery drones are being attacked by angry birds repeatedly, which have forced the service to shut down its operations temporarily.

The sister company of Google, Wing, has been delivering goods in Australia, such as hardware, pharmacy, and even beverage products.

However, ravens and other large birds are persistently getting in the way of the drone deliveries by aggressively attacking it, as per ScreenRant.

Google's Wing Delivery Drones

Google's subsidiary, Wing delivery drones, operates in three locations already, namely the United States, Finland, and Australia. However, the angry birds' issue was only present in the last location.

It is to note that in Logan, Australia, alone, Google's Wing has already delivered 50,000 everyday essentials, half of the total deliveries of the company.

Aside from Australia, other locations of the drone delivery service are in Helsinki, Finland, and Christiansburg, Virginia.

Last Jan. 2, Google expressed its distaste for the new drone laws of the United States, which could affect the delivery services of its sister company, Wing.

The drone law seeks to require every flying drone to disclose their exact locations, as well as the accurate whereabouts of their pilots.

Wing Delivery Drones vs. Angry Birds Attack

According to the report by the local news outlet in Australia, Canberra Times, the delivery drone service of Wing has been interrupted by ravens and other large aggressive birds, which include hawks, eagles, and even magpies.

The news report did not elaborate on the reason why these birds are seemingly angry at the delivery drones of Google.

But the tech giant subsidiary, Wing, further suggested that the attacks might be a result of a "territorial behavior."

What's more, the aggressive reaction from the birds could be related to their spring nesting season.

The Register reported that Magpies, in particular, are seen as a hazard even to humans as they have a tendency to swoop people who they think are a threat to their eggs.

It is worth noting that Magpies swooping is very dangerous for cyclists as they could get in an accident.

Wing Halts Operations Temporary

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Wing has decided to suspend its drone delivery services temporarily to avoid the repeated angry birds' attack incident.

To be clear, Wing is only halting its services in the capital city of Australia due to the bird attacking incident. On the other hand, delivery runs in the United States and Finland remain operational.

The report further disclosed that Wing is already thinking of a way to bring back their operations in the locations, while also considering the welfare of the birds.

On top of that, the spokeswoman of Wing assured that the attacks have not harmed any birds, adding that the incidents are "extremely rare."

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris