All three are the likely air space for a plane versus bird strike.

Planes in Australia have recorded the highest ever number of birdstrikes in a year, with galahs, flying foxes, swans and pelicans among those coming off second best.

There were 16,626 birdstrikes between 2008 and 2017, according to the latest figures released in the Australian Transport Safety Bureau's aviation wildlife strike statistics for the decade spanning 2008 to 2017.

Ninety-four of those occurred in Port Macquarie air space.

In 2012, passengers on a flight from Brisbane to Port Macquarie were grounded for three hours after their aircraft hit a flock of birds moments after take-off.

In 2014, the owner and pilot of a small aeroplane faced a repair bill of more than $100,000 after an encounter with a kangaroo at Kempsey Airport.

In 2017, there were 1,921 incidents with Brisbane reporting more incidents than any other city, with 138 strikes; followed by Sydney (109), Melbourne (104), Cairns (100) and Darwin (90) and regionally, nine in Port Macquarie.

However, a significant number of birdstrikes happened at an unknown location (135) and in nearly a third of cases the species was also not known.

None of the incidents caused serious injuries or fatalities.

The report says the majority of birdstrikes occur within the confines of an aerodrome, that is, within five kilometres from the aerodrome or on the aerodrome.

This is because birds and aircraft more commonly share the same airspace while the aircraft is on the runway for take-off and landing, and during the climb and approach phases of flight.

In addition, even when pilots are not aware of a birdstrike on the ground or in the aerodrome confines, remnants of the bird will often be found and reported by aerodrome staff.

Domestic high capacity aircraft were most likely to be involved.

Between 2008 and 2017, there were 781 birdstrikes involving one or more birds being ingested into an engine of turbofan-powered aircraft. Additionally, there were 11 occurrences involving bird ingestions into two engines.

In the ten-year period, six aircraft were reported to be destroyed as a result of a birdstrike, however, four of these aircraft were remotely piloted aircraft systems. The other two were cases were large birds had flown into the tail rotors of light helicopters.

But the animal hazards are not just the flying kind. Hares, kangaroos, a cow and even a turtle were hit by aircraft in 2017.

Hares were the most common (eight) followed by kangaroos and rabbits an equal second with five each.

* 781 birdstrikes involved one or more birds ingested into engine turbines

* 11 times birds were sucked into two engines

* Four remote-pilot aircrafts and two light helicopters destroyed by birdstrikes

* 396 ground-based animal strikes reported