People will be seen dangling from helicopters across the Tararua district for the next few weeks as Manawatu -Whanganui Regional Council carries out its annual rook eradication programme.
The pest bird thrives in the region because of a bounty of crops.
The council's environmental manager, Bill Martyn, says aerial poisoning involves a person being suspended below a helicopter to apply a sticky toxin to rook nests, which are often near the tops of trees. The birds ingest the poison.
He says the council adopted the aerial programme in 2004, after seeing how well it worked in Canterbury.
Landowners have been urged to report any sightings of the birds or their nests.
The Southland Regional Council is also on the lookout for rooks.
