# Flying Jackrabbits **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247 "2001-11-14T02:23:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/50afbb/32.png) [@Yuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yuck)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/1 "2001-11-14T02:23:29Z")
Regarding the newest tragedy in New York, one of the theories being presented is that a bird(s) got sucked into the engine. Specifically, the New York Times says “Most of the incidents at Kennedy happened at Runway 31L, where Flight 587 took off. Pilots using that runway reported 139 incidents, at least 62 of which involved gulls. Other animals included barn owls, larks, sparrows, homing pigeons, a peregrine falcon and a jackrabbit.” What kind of Jackrabbit flies? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/2 "2001-11-14T03:24:30Z")
Well, huh. I thought you was funnin’ me, but the Washington _Post_ has it, too. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23402-2001Nov13.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23402-2001Nov13.html) > [@](#): > > Large flocks of gulls, geese and other birds abound around Kennedy Airport, which is next to Jamaica Bay and a federally protected wetlands. > > At least 726 birds and other animals have been hit by aircraft at Kennedy over the past decade, according to Federal Aviation Administration records obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. > > Most of the incidents at Kennedy happened at Runway 31L, where Flight 587 took off. Pilots using that runway reported 139 incidents, at least 62 of which involved gulls. Other animals included barn owls, larks, sparrows, homing pigeons, a peregrine falcon and a jackrabbit. Note that the full squib doesn’t say “a plane crashed because of a jackrabbit”–it’s talking about animals being “hit” by aircraft, and it just says that there was an “incident” involving a jackrabbit and a plane on Runway 31L. That’s not necessarily in midair, or even off the ground. But you really had me a-goin’ there for a minute. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/3 "2001-11-14T04:09:29Z")
> [@](#): > > What kind of Jackrabbit flies? Perhaps a Jackrabbit being carried off by a peregrine falcon ? That fit’s the phrase used in the article: “a peregrine falcon and a jackrabbit.” ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/4 "2001-11-14T04:28:42Z")
A 2 oz bird could not carry a 1 pound jackrabbit! Sorry…I tried not to. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/5 "2001-11-14T04:34:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > **Note that the full squib doesn’t say “a plane crashed because of a jackrabbit”–it’s talking about animals being “hit” by aircraft** Still, even if the jet’s front wheels hit the thing straight on, I can’t see there being much of an ‘incident’. Hell, I’ve hit them with a car (sadly) and you barely notice it. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/6 "2001-11-14T04:44:25Z")
> [@](#): > > A 2 oz bird could not carry a 1 pound jackrabbit! Female peregrines can [weigh upwards of 2.5 pounds](http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/birds/Falcon.htm), and have a wingspan of ~ 1 meter. Baby rabbits, besides being **very** fuzzy, can also weigh 100 grams or less. Yes, it’s highly improbable, but I’m thinking that a falcon startled by seeing a 747 barreling towards it at 150 mph might not take the time to loosen its grip on its prey before attempting to get out of the way :eek: ! ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/7 "2001-11-14T04:49:12Z")
Sorry, **Sqwink** , it was a Monty Python reference. Still, I’d hate to have the job of trying to figure out what kind of animal a 90 gram rabbit was after it had been through the jet fins. Yech! ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/8 "2001-11-14T04:51:09Z")
Sorry - **Squink**. And I previewed! ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/9 "2001-11-14T04:54:10Z")
Just say nee to typos ! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/10 "2001-11-14T05:12:57Z")
Well, I’m assuming that by “incident” they mean that paperwork has to be filled out, even if all the jet did was flatten it with its tire. If the squished critter in question came over from a National Wildlife Refuge, there’s probably some Federal red tape that needs to be dealt with. And then there’s PETA. I dunno. [sigh] ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/11 "2001-11-14T05:29:04Z")
I have no trouble believing that a rabbit could get sucked into an engine on a 737. I always marvel that they don’t have little skids under them to keep from scraping off the cowling on a rough landing. They are _low_. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/12 "2001-11-14T15:24:11Z")
There’s surely some error there, as jackrabbits don’t occur in New York State. Cottontail rabbits and European and Snowshoe hares, but not jackrabbits. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/13 "2001-11-14T15:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Colibri \* > \*\*There’s surely some error there, as jackrabbits don’t occur in New York State. Cottontail rabbits and European and Snowshoe hares, but not jackrabbits. \*\* Most likely having to do with the incident reporter’s limited knowledge of indigenous wildlife. It hopped and had big ears, ergo, it was a jackrabbit, which sounds better than “cottontail”. The latter sounds like you’re squishing characters from kiddy stories. Quite likely, the remains of the critter, if retrieved, did not allow precise taxonomy either. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/14 "2001-11-14T15:59:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > \*\*I have no trouble believing that a rabbit could get sucked into an engine on a 737. I always marvel that they don’t have little skids under them to keep from scraping off the cowling on a rough landing. They are _low_. \*\* Actually, they do have some structural reinforcement there for that reason. Notice also that the bottom of the inlet is flattened a little for ground clearance, which is not good for engine performance, but all designs are compromises. The accessory gearbox is swung around 45 degrees to the side, too, even though it would be happier on the bottom. I have a copy of an incident report where a 737 engine was destroyed by hitting a _horse_, taking off from an unfenced airport in Argentina. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2001, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/15 "2001-11-14T20:41:46Z")
Grammatical note: There is no comma after “falcon”, suggesting that they’re refering to one incident. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/16 "2001-11-15T01:04:34Z")
The jackrabbit was _flying_ the plane. Got it? Good. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/17 "2001-11-15T03:16:44Z")
Hah! Score one for The Duck and her faithful sidekick, Google. 😃 > [@](#): > > _originally posted by Colibri:_ > **There’s surely some error there, as jackrabbits don’t occur in New York State. Cottontail rabbits and European and Snowshoe hares, but not jackrabbits.** [http://www.fieldtrip.com/ny/83184340.htm](http://www.fieldtrip.com/ny/83184340.htm) > [@](#): > > Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge > Gateway National Recreation Area > Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY 11234 > (718) 318 4340 > > This is a great place for individuals and families to observe wildlife. As well as shorebirds, raptors will be found here, as will many different mammals such as opossum, various bats, **jackrabbit** , muskrat, chipmunk, and others. [http://training.fws.gov/library/pubs5/web\_link/text/jb\_form.htm](http://training.fws.gov/library/pubs5/web_link/text/jb_form.htm) > [@](#): > > SIGNIFICANT HABITATS AND HABITAT COMPLEXES > OF THE NEW YORK BIGHT WATERSHED > > Jamaica Bay and Breezy Point > COMPLEX #16 > > I. SITE NAME: Jamaica Bay and Breezy Point > > Although not rare in the Bight region, many small mammals are rare within the urban core of New York City and are an important food base for the hawks and owls feeding on the islands and shorelines of Jamaica Bay. Resident mammals on the islands and bay shorelines include opossum (Didelphis virginiana), **black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) escaped from John F. Kennedy Airport cargo…** Heh. [sub]i know, gloating is ugly[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Toaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@Toaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toaster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/18 "2001-11-15T13:10:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SenorBeef \* > \*\*Grammatical note: > > There is no comma after “falcon”, suggesting that they’re refering to one incident. \*\* Grammatical note: There is no “and” before “falcon,” suggesting that they’re referring to two incidents. Also, a comma is not needed between the final two items of a list, although it’s perfectly acceptable to use one (which IIRC is called a “Boston Comma” or somesuch). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/19 "2001-11-15T14:00:44Z")
When I lived in the desert there were flying jackrabbits. They’d be flattend by cars, y’see, and when they dried in the hot desert sun you could use them as Frisbees™. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247/20 "2001-11-15T14:15:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > \*\*Heh. > > [sub]i know, gloating is ugly[/sub] \*\* OK, OK, go ahead and gloat. I checked the [New York State checklist](http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/spplist.pdf), and it wasn’t there. However, the list is dated 1993, and only includes introduced species if there have been persistent records for the last 10 years. I assume this must have happened fairly recently, since I never saw any in the mid-80s when I spent a lot of time at Jamaica Bay and environs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flying-jackrabbits/93247.md?page=2)