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Based on our research, above is the estimated number of birds that have been killed by cats since the start of 2024.
Birds Killed by Cats Every Year
About 1.3 - 4.0 billion birds are killed by cats per year in the United States.
Even at the lower end, that's about 33,561,642 birds a day, 148,401 birds an hour, 2,473 birds a minute, and 41 birds a second.
Around the globe, feral cats contributed to 14% of the extinctions of birds, mammals, and reptiles, with birds species being the most common of those.
How Do Cats Outside Affect Birds?
How Do Cats Outside Affect Birds?
Outdoor cats are extremely harmful to local bird species. House cats are not native to areas like North America, and local bird species have not evolved to deal with them. This makes cats exceptional predators and a big factor in the decreasing population of urban birds. Outdoor house cats have contributed to the extinction of around 63 bird, rodent, and lizard species. They continue to have an enormous impact on global bird populations, which in turn impacts global ecosystems.
What You Can Do To Help?
What You Can Do To Help?
One way to keep bird deaths down is to keep your cats inside. While the argument is often used that cats are happier outside, studies conducted by institutions including the University of Maryland have shown that as long as indoor cats are provided with toys and entertainment, they are just as happy, if not happier, than those outside. Another option is volunteering at or donating money to shelters or local organizations that rescue stray cats from urban areas. Many organizations like PAWS have done great work in reducing stray cat populations in cities. Spreading the word around your area can also be a great way to help if you don't have a cat.
Bird Species Commonly Affected by Outdoor Cats:
Piping Plover
The piping plover is a small shore bird native to sand and gravel beaches in North America. They are near threatened overall, however have been absent from the Chicago and other great lakes regions until very recently. Their decline in population is mainly due to outdoor cats and habitat loss.
'Ua'u
The 'Ua'u, commonly known as the Hawaiian Petrel, is a federally endangered seabird native to Hawaii. They primarily nest in cliffs on the ground, and therefore are particularly vulnerable to outdoor cats.
Palila
The Palila is a critically endangered species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. They are particularly vulnerable to cats because of their small size. Bringing back the palila is one of the American Bird Conservancy Hawai'i Program's top priorities.
Nēnē
The nēnē or Hawaiian Goose is a species of bird that nests on the ground and is particularly vulnerable to cats. Thanks to conservation efforts, their population is slowly increasing.
Keeping Cats Outside can also be Detrimental to the Health of Cats!
Cats face serious problems while outside, putting their and other cat's lives in jeopardy. This can include obtaining diseases like salmonella as well as pests and parasites like fleas, ticks, mites, worms, ringworm, rabies, and many more. These can be transmitted from the things they eat, like birds, rodents, reptiles, and trash. They can also be obtained through contact with other outdoor cats. If your cat is not neutered, it can procreate with other outdoor or stray cats. Interactions with stray cats can cause your outdoor cat to become stressed, skittish and more aggressive. It is recommended to keep your cat indoors for their own safety and the safety of our local wildlife.
Not-So-Fun Facts:
The average outdoor cat kills about two animals per week.
There are an estimated 30-80 million stray and feral cats in the United States, which does not refer to any owned outdoor cats.
Domestic cats have been listed as one of the top 100 worst invasive species in the world.
How Can You Help?
Keep your cats inside! It is the easiest and most effective way to help and benefits the health of your cats, wild birds, local ecosystems, and you!
Spread the word! Send this website to anyone who would benefit from this info, or print out one of our posters about the dangers of outdoor cats and post it around your community.
Donate or volunteer! Find local organizations that work to help save and keep data on birds injured and killed by cats, and local shelters that help keep cats off the streets.
If you would like to help promote bird conservation in your area please download this poster and place it around your neighborhood. Every poster saves a bird.
Sources:
Are Outdoor Cats Happier?. Animal Humane Society. https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/resource/are-outdoor-cats-happier#:~:text=If%20you%20love%20letting%20your,than%20it%20could%20be%20indoors
Cats and Birds. American Bird Conservancy. (2020, September 25). https://abcbirds.org/program/cats-indoors/cats-and-birds/#:~:text=Outdoor%20domestic%20cats%20are%20a,extinction%2C%20such%20as%20Piping%20Plover
Loss, S. R., Will, T., & Marra, P. P. (2013). The Impact of Free-Ranging Domestic Cats on Wildlife of the United States. Nature Communications, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms2380
The Moral Cost of Cats. Smithsonian.com. https://www.birdconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/The-Moral-Cost-of-Cats-_-Science-_-Smithsonian.pdf
Free-Ranging and Feral Cats. U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service. (2021, October). https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/free-ranging-and-feral-cats.pdf
Daniel J. Herrera et al, Spatial and temporal overlap of domestic cats (Felis catus) and native urban wildlife, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (2022). DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1048585
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