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Birdsbesafe® collar cover reduces bird predation by domestic cats ( Felis catus )
Author(s) -
Pemberton Catherine,
Ruxton Graeme D.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/jzo.12739
Subject(s) - collar , felis catus , predation , biology , cats , cover (algebra) , zoology , felis , fishery , ecology , mechanical engineering , computer science , engineering , embedded system
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.