Birdsbesafe® collar cover reduces bird predation by domestic cats (Felis catus)

Catherine Pemberton; Graeme D. Ruxton

doi:10.1111/jzo.12739

Birdsbesafe® collar cover reduces bird predation by domestic cats (Felis catus)

Catherine Pemberton, Graeme D. Ruxton

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

The domestic cat (Felis catus) is one of the world’s most damaging invasive species, especially threatening to local bird populations. This study examined the efficacy of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover at reducing predation rates by household cats on avian populations. The vivid colours of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover are assumed to alert nearby birds to the cat’s presence, allowing them to escape safely. Overall, 19 cats were trialled over 8 weeks and the Birdsbesafe® collar cover resulted in a reduction of 78% in the number of birds killed. Further research is required into owner attitudes to collars in order to examine whether these collar‐based devices could be widely adopted.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Zoology
Volume	Early View
Early online date	8 Oct 2019
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12739
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 8 Oct 2019

Keywords

Wild birds
Pet cats
Felis catus
Bird conservation
Anti-predation device
Domestic cats
Invasive predators

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10.1111/jzo.12739

Pemberton_2019_JZ_Birdsbesafe_AAM
Copyright © 2019 The Zoological Society of London. This work has been made available online in accordance with publisher policies or with permission. Permission for further reuse of this content should be sought from the publisher or the rights holder. This is the author created accepted manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12739
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Cite this

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title = "Birdsbesafe{\textregistered} collar cover reduces bird predation by domestic cats (Felis catus)",

abstract = "The domestic cat (Felis catus) is one of the world{\textquoteright}s most damaging invasive species, especially threatening to local bird populations. This study examined the efficacy of the Birdsbesafe{\textregistered} collar cover at reducing predation rates by household cats on avian populations. The vivid colours of the Birdsbesafe{\textregistered} collar cover are assumed to alert nearby birds to the cat{\textquoteright}s presence, allowing them to escape safely. Overall, 19 cats were trialled over 8 weeks and the Birdsbesafe{\textregistered} collar cover resulted in a reduction of 78% in the number of birds killed. Further research is required into owner attitudes to collars in order to examine whether these collar‐based devices could be widely adopted.",

keywords = "Wild birds, Pet cats, Felis catus, Bird conservation, Anti-predation device, Domestic cats, Invasive predators",

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doi = "10.1111/jzo.12739",

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volume = "Early View",

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AU - Pemberton, Catherine

AU - Ruxton, Graeme D.

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N2 - The domestic cat (Felis catus) is one of the world’s most damaging invasive species, especially threatening to local bird populations. This study examined the efficacy of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover at reducing predation rates by household cats on avian populations. The vivid colours of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover are assumed to alert nearby birds to the cat’s presence, allowing them to escape safely. Overall, 19 cats were trialled over 8 weeks and the Birdsbesafe® collar cover resulted in a reduction of 78% in the number of birds killed. Further research is required into owner attitudes to collars in order to examine whether these collar‐based devices could be widely adopted.

AB - The domestic cat (Felis catus) is one of the world’s most damaging invasive species, especially threatening to local bird populations. This study examined the efficacy of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover at reducing predation rates by household cats on avian populations. The vivid colours of the Birdsbesafe® collar cover are assumed to alert nearby birds to the cat’s presence, allowing them to escape safely. Overall, 19 cats were trialled over 8 weeks and the Birdsbesafe® collar cover resulted in a reduction of 78% in the number of birds killed. Further research is required into owner attitudes to collars in order to examine whether these collar‐based devices could be widely adopted.

KW - Wild birds

KW - Pet cats

KW - Felis catus

KW - Bird conservation

KW - Anti-predation device

KW - Domestic cats

KW - Invasive predators

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DO - 10.1111/jzo.12739

M3 - Article

SN - 0952-8369

VL - Early View

JO - Journal of Zoology

JF - Journal of Zoology

ER -

Birdsbesafe® collar cover reduces bird predation by domestic cats (Felis catus)

Abstract

Keywords

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