Studies have shown that cats pose threats to many bird populations, including priority species for conservation, through their predation of adult, nestling, and juvenile birds.
In this paper, we review recent scientifi c research on the impacts of free-ranging cats on birds, with an emphasis on threats to migratory landbirds in the United States. Cats have contributed to declines and extinctions of birds worldwide and are one of the most important drivers of global bird extinctions. Urban ecologists will need to be versatile in the way they design and conduct experiments, exploiting multiple disciplines to both ensure scientific robustness, but also community and government support for uptake of results into management and legislation.Īmerican birds face an estimated 117 to 157 million exotic predators in the form of free-ranging domestic cats (Felis catus), which are estimated to kill at least one billion birds every year in the United States.
These data are vital for informing the public and improving the management of urban cat populations, including mitigating conservation impacts. Here, we review current knowledge on domestic cats in urban New Zealand, identify gaps in knowledge and make suggestions for future research, which includes further social science research, citizen science-based research programs, market research, investigation into cat-management legislation, and more in-depth studies of cat diseases and zoonoses. This dynamic causes much conflict between people with different attitudes towards animals however, as yet, few studies have explored the role(s), either negative or positive, of urban cats in New Zealand. Cats in New Zealand are recognised as major introduced predators of native fauna, but they also prey on small introduced predatory mammals. Within New Zealand, this conflict is particularly fraught around domestic cats (Felis catus) in the urban environment. These are particularly intense when companion animals are involved either as potential predators or prey of high-value conservation animals.
However, human–wildlife conflicts arise when conservation occurs in close proximity to cities. Over the past 20 years, conservation efforts in New Zealand have moved from being concentrated in rural and isolated island locations, where exotic mammalian predators are often controlled, to begin to bring native fauna back to major cities.
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