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Conservationists in Wyoming are using papier-mâché robotic decoys to protect the greater sage-grouse near Jackson Hole Airport
The handcrafted decoys aim to lure the birds to safer breeding grounds away from dangerous airport infrastructure
The project addresses habitat loss and bird strikes while attempting to balance aviation safety with wildlife conservation efforts
An unusual conservation effort is taking flight once again in Wyoming with handcrafted robo-birds.
According to Popular Science, Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park recently deployed robotic handcrafted imitations of the greater sage-grouse near the Jackson Hole Airport in an effort to protect the birds the robots are mimicking.
In 2025, Grand Teton National Park shared initial details about the project in a social media post. According to the park, the effort aims to reduce future bird strikes at the airport. Between 1990 and 2013, at least 32 sage-grouse were killed by aircraft near the airport, many during the summer months when hens and chicks are most active.
The robot birds are conservationists’ creative solution to moving real-life greater sage-grouse away from the airport.
“The park, along with community partners, restored a 100-acre field just south of the runway and placed four handcrafted sage-grouse decoys to encourage birds to relocate their spring mating displays. This multi-year restoration is part of the Airport’s Wildlife Hazard Management Plan to improve safety for both wildlife and aircraft,” Grand Teton posted on Instagram when the project launched.
Grand Teton National Park greater sage-grouse decoy in 2026
Credit: NPS / McKinney
For 2025, the decoys were crafted from papier-mâché in collaboration with the Teton Raptor Center, art students from Jackson Hole Middle School, and local artist Lori Solem. All of the decoys were placed in the restored 100-acre field south of the Jackson Hole airport’s runway and configured to mimic sage-grouse during their mating displays.
Grand Teton National Park partnered with RoboBroncs—Jackson Hole High School’s robotics team—to design the robotic grouse decoys used in 2026, according to Popular Science. The outlet added that this year’s batch of decoys includes two types of fake birds: stationary models and automated decoys designed to dance like grouse during their mating rituals.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS), the greater sage-grouse, known for its distinctive mating ritual in which males puff out their chests and fan their tail feathers, relies heavily on specific open landscapes for breeding.
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Wildlife officials say relocating these mating displays, even slightly, could significantly reduce the risk of bird strikes while also protecting a species already facing habitat loss across the West.
Read the original article on People