Is that a drone in the sky? It could be, but here's what else you might be seeing

Was that a bird? A plane? Residents of New Jersey and other neighboring states landed on drone.

Reports of "drone sightings" over the last month have attracted the attention of many, from local politicians to President-elect Donald Trump, who are calling for federal intervention amidst increasing reports of mysterious aircraft activity.

Federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, have yet to corroborate or provide any clear answers about the unidentified flying objects spotted across the skies of Maryland, New York and New Jersey.

They will continue to "deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings," according to a joint statement obtained by USA TODAY on Monday.

“Historically, we have experienced cases of mistaken identity, where reported drones are, in fact, manned aircraft or facilities,” the agencies said in the statement.

Numerous theories have emerged about who or what the reported drone sightings could be, ranging from UFOs to foreign government surveillance. The unidentified flying objects, according to the federal government, do not appear to be operating nefariously.

While U.S. airspace seems to have been infiltrated by drones recently, there is the distinct possibility that the unidentified flying object you took for a drone could be something else entirely. And because the sightings aren't confirmed to be connected, different sightings may have different explanations.

What are drones and who can fly them? What to know amid mysterious sightings.

What is a drone?

The term "drone" refers to any uncrewed aerial vehicle piloted remotely. Drones are widely used among hobbyists, commercial users and the military for a variety of purposes.

The aircraft is regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration, which has authority over U.S. airspace. Nearly 792,000 drones are registered with the FAA, about half of which are commercial drones and half of which are for recreational use.

While states do have laws of their own regarding the use of drones, the FAA's regulations tend to reign supreme and may even supersede any other conflicting rules.

Is that a drone in the sky? Other possibilities exist

It's likely that drones seen in many of the reported sightings aren't actually drones at all, according to government officials. White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said at a news conference they may actually be piloted aircrafts flying legally.

Harry Direen, an electronic and software engineering expert at DireenTech, told USA TODAY he wouldn’t be surprised if people were seeing drones at first, but that once the notion of drones took hold, people assumed any aircraft they couldn’t identify was a drone.

“After what were likely valid sightings of possibly hobbyist drones, every aircraft can then become suspicious,” Direen said.

The airborne object you've seen in the sky, whether drone or not, falls into one of six categories, according to reporting by WTOP News: Astronomical, aeronautical, meteorological, wildlife, geological or unknown.

You could have seen anything from a manned aircraft to a Starlink satellite, or even a bird depending on the time of day and distance away.

Contributing: Eric Lagatta

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Think you spotted a drone? It's more likely an aircraft, feds say