X-band measurements of radar signatures of large sea birds

X-band measurements of flying sea birds have been carried out in order to investigate the potential of extracting features for target recognition from micro-Doppler signatures. More specifically, the contribution from wings to the bird´s total RCS is examined. This is important as these signatures are believed to be highly dependent on aspect angle and polarization. The underlying question is if the contribution from flapping wings in terms of backscattered power is large enough to be detected at all aspect angles. As modern surveillance radar systems will have increased sensitivity compared to their predecessors, more birds are expected be detected. So what SNR would be required to not only detect, but extract recognizable features from micro-Doppler signatures at any aspect angle as well?