The source for the bird loss is: Loss et al. Love it when people have fitting names like that. A painter named Brush, an investment banker named Rich, a hairdresser named Mane, etc.
What about the loss of habitat, anyone who knows even a little bit about birds, at least in the western hemisphere, know that thousands of species only mate in certain areas in certain times of years. The loss of habitats for mating, the loss of food sources in the remaining habitats from pesticides, and the fact that many pesticides and other pollutants LITERALLY DEGRADE BIRD SHELLS AND KILL THEM BEFORE THEY HATCH
House cats shouldn't be putting a fucking dent in bird populations and it's both absurd to think they're the real threat and disingenuous to the causes of ill that plague our ecology
I'm not shitting on you, OP, but in definitely shitting on the person who made this infographic and I'm shitting on the people who continue to push the myth that cats are the leading cause of loss in bird populations. They may kill many birds, but they're not the reason we're losing them. Not at all by far.
Cat's shouldn't be putting a dent in the bird population because they shouldn't be outside. They're an invasive species that can definitely destroy local ecosystems.
Yes habitat destruction is reducing bird population, but that doesn't excuse the irresponsibility of cat owners that let their cats outside. All that accomplished is creating two problems.
Barely moves the needle. Birds are extremely adaptable and readily find habitats in rural, exurban, suburban, and even urban environments. Letting a housecat outside is one of the worst things that a single individual can do for the environment.
This may be true for the USA. In Germany the biggest killer is agriculture, followed by buildings, then cars and then come the cats. I'm guessing this is the reason for the controversy regarding this topic. Cats aren't that big a problem in Germany. Especially if you have a programmable cat flap that leaves the cats inside during morning and evening times. During daytime they don't catch shit.
So destroying over 90% of their natural Habitat is not worse than a single predator?
Nevermind most other predators that have been driven to extinction anyway
I have. Random outdoor cat walked over to me, demanded pets, it noticed a bird, killed the bird, and came back to me looking for more attention. I was not impressed.
I have feed around 10 stray cats for the last 15 years. Only one of them was a hunter, and by that, I mean it's like watching captain Levi dealing with giants. I once saw her take down two pigeons at the same time.
Dang, we had barn cats as a kid, and then dad let one inside, and then more, but they would demand to go outside regularly so my parents let them, but the prettiest one, a calico, was always so proud of her catches, she'd leave them on the welcome mat like a present. Sometimes the whole bird, somtimes just like the feet left, she must have been hungry those days.
My mom also has two cats. They killed two birds I saw personally. And they try everytime they see a bird getting near.
But at least she owns them for a reason. She has a field near the house from where a lot if mice often come to the house, especially in autumn. They deal pretty well with it.