WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - Migratory Canada geese, and not local birds, were responsible for bringing down a US Airways <LCC.N> passenger jet that landed safely in New York's Hudson River in January, researchers reported on Monday.

The team at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History said their research could lead to better ways to prevent aircraft bird strikes.

They studied genetic samples and feathers from the remains of the birds that were killed when the plane hit a flock of geese.

Samples showed the birds were most similar to migratory Canada geese from the Labrador region and significantly different from birds living in New York City, they told a news conference.

"Determining whether these birds were migratory or not was critical to our research and will help inform future methods of reducing bird strikes," said Peter Marra, who led the study.

"Resident birds near airports may be managed by population reduction, habitat modification, harassment or removal, but migratory populations require more elaborate techniques in order to monitor bird movements."

Marra's team used a mass spectrometer to look at stable-hydrogen isotopes -- chemicals with a specific chemical signature -- to show what kind of vegetation the birds had been eating.

"It is important to not only know what species of birds are involved in collisions, but to also understand the role that migration plays in the larger picture," said Carla Dove of the Smithsonian's feather identification laboratory, who worked on the study.

"The more information we are able to gather in cases like this, the more we will be able to reduce the risks of bird strikes in the future."

The US Airways flight hit a flock of geese just after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, extensively damaging both engines and forcing a dramatic emergency landing and rescue in the Hudson River.

In April, the the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it would open its database on aircraft bird strikes. (Editing by Eric Walsh)

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