It may be that humans are to blame. We are destroying their habitat, we don't spay and neuter which contributes to many hungry, homeless cats, (I have seen many dogs kill birds too, wspecially babies) we poison 'nuisance' birds like starlings and pigeons and thus poison desirable birds too, we breed flowers and trees to not have 'messy' seeds and fruits and this then denies birds food. I believe man has contributed much more to destroying many species then cats.....
Cars, farming, mowing, pesticides, windows, etc. It's a wonder there are any birds left. I'm wondering why now, though? Pesticide use was less regulated before. There were way more free-roaming cats years ago.
Maybe it's all those bald eagles, lol. They certainly seem to be doing well. I see at least one a day now.
I planted a 150 foot long hedge row down one side of my house nine years ago, and it's 12-15 ft. tall, and very thick now. We have more birds outside now than our four housecats can chatter at in a days time. They sit in the windows and chatter at birds early in the morning and then again in the late afternoon till they go nutty. It's so much fun to watch them!
No matter where I live, I do my best to offer sanctuary to wild birds... I set up at least one birdbath, put up multiple feeders, leave bushes and trees in place if they offer habitat, safety, etc. My cats love watching the birds, but if I see a dangerous situation developing I will take steps to rectify it... for instance, I need to whack weeds again in my yard, they're growing tall enough to conceal the cats entirely from birds who wish to alight in that area. I may be a diehard cat lover, but I also enjoy time shared with my little feathered friends. The hummingbirds, woodpeckers & tanagers are my favorites here in southeastern Arizona...
This is definitely not all on cats. Cats are the easiest source to blame though because the destruction of habitats and use of pesticides is a much bigger issue to resolve. For many people, it is the most understandable source as well. We have all seen a cat go after a bird but most of us are not living where habitats are being destroyed. We only hear about it.
When my cats were outside cats, indoors now, they brought 4-5 mice home daily. Very rarely did they catch a bird. I don't hear anyone screaming about saving the mice!
Cats arent to blame for the loss of billions of birds....... its humans.
Even if you dont believe in global warming, the fact is.....as the world population grows we will need more food, more water and more fresh air, but there is only a finite amount. At the same time we are using those finite resources at an ever increasing rate. Eventually there simply wont be enough for everyone.
Too bad cats dont rule the earth...none of this would have happened.
First of all let me explain: I hate any kind of cat bashing. Cats have unfairly been getting a bad rep since the Middle Ages.
Cats are much more apt to go for the easy kill, which means ground rodents, then to try for a bird.
The only animal that has the capacity to diminish large swaths of a species would be humans. Skyscrapers, planes, pesticides, development, climate change, glass windows, and loss of habitats, are the very things that do birds in.
When I had to replace all my doors and windows, I ordered ones with grilles in them. One of the reason I got the grilles was to prevent birds from crashing into them. I saw a story on a news site some time ago that said new skyscrapers are building their windows with something on them that doesn't mirror to protect the birds.
Whoever wrote that article didn't see my back yard. It looks like Alfred Hitchcock outside with all the birds in my yard even with all these feral cats.