Port Authority: Owls struck 5 planes at NY area airports

NEW YORK (AP) - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says that over the past two weeks five planes at JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports have been struck by snowy owls.

The agency released a statement Monday saying it is working with the state Department of Environmental Conservation to immediately implement a program to trap and relocate snowy owls that pose a threat to aircraft.

An unusual number of snowy owls have been spotted in the northern U.S. this year and have been setting up winter residence at airports, fields and beaches far south of their normal range.

Bird strikes over New York have been getting special attention since 2009, when a flight successfully ditched in the Hudson River after hitting a flock of geese.