More than one million native Australian birds are killed across the country by cats every day, new research shows.
The study, published in the journal Biological Conversation, estimates feral cats kill 316 million birds a year, while pet cats kill 61 million birds annually.
More than 99 per cent are native birds.
"Everyone knows that cats kill birds, but this study shows that, at a national level, the amount of predation is staggering, and is likely to be driving the ongoing decline of many species," said lead researcher Professor John Woinarski, of Charles Darwin University.
Australian National University Associate Professor Sarah Legge says the researchers combines data from previous studies.
It's the first study to look at the nation-wide impact cats are having on Australia's birds, Assoc Prof Legge says.
"We also looked at the traits that were more likely to make a bird susceptible to cats," she told AAP.
Small-to-medium sized birds, birds that nest and hunt on the ground, and those found on remote islands or arid areas are most at risk of being killed by cats.
The scientists estimate there are about 11 billion native birds across the country, suggesting cats kill about four per cent of the population annually.
"We found records of cats killing 338 species of native birds, of which 71 were threatened species," Assoc Prof Legge said.
"That's about 60 per cent of the threatened species in Australia".
Acting Threatened Species Commissioner Sebastian Lang says the government has already sunk more than $30 million into projects to reduce the feral threat.
"Responsible pet owners can help reduce the impact of domestic cats by desexing them and keeping them indoors or in a cat run. These are great ways to protect our wildlife that can also improve the wellbeing of domestic cats," Mr Lang said.
DAMAGE BEING DONE BY CATS
* 377m birds killed annually
* 99 pct of birds killed are native Australian birds
* 373m native Australian birds killed annually
* 316m birds killed by feral cats annually
* 61m birds killed annually by domestic cats
* 338 species of native Australian birds had been killed, including 71 threatened species
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