The Presence of Domestic Cats Near Bird Populations in Urban and Non-Urban Settings

Ian P. Perkins*, Christopher Rota and Daniel Rubianto*

Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (Poster Presentation #69)

Student’s Major: Wildlife and Fisheries Resources

Birds face many challenges in the everchanging landscape caused by urbanization and development. Over the past century there has been a drastic decrease in bird populations across the U.S and much of this is attributed to man-made environmental changes such as loss of habitat and many other factors caused by anthropogenic activities. A major contributor to this dramatic drop in birds is the common house cat (Felis catus). Previous research has shown that cats contribute to millions of bird deaths each year. This predation has a major impact on bird populations and can be difficult to prevent. In many areas stray cats prey on birds as a source of food and house cats when let outside also hunt birds. It is important to know the effects of cats on wild bird populations in both rural and urban areas to mitigate this problem. Although data has not yet been collected, it is predicted that urban areas will see more cats present than in rural areas because of the proximity to a denser human population. To test if domestic cats are present and the different distributions between a rural and urban gradient, game trail cameras will be used to capture the presence of cats in the area, along with any other mammalian predators seen on the cameras. Once data has been collected and analyzed it can be used to determine the area most at risk and where future efforts should be focused in dealing with domestic cats.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course