Project 1

Project description: This study is a subset of the Bahama Oriole Project. The Bahama Oriole is a critically endangered songbird endemic to andros, Bahamas. We are aiming to assess the threats to the Bahama Oriole. Cat predation is one of the largest sources of human related bird morality, particularly for island species that evolved in the absence of mammalian predators. This study estimated the abundance of feral cats inhabiting the pine forests of Andros. We placed motion sensitive wildlife camera traps at twenty-three locations within our selected six-square-kilometer study plot to detect the presence of feral cats. We found at least five adults as well as three kittens within the plot, indicating about one cat per square-kilometer. This preliminary analysis suggests that, not only are feral cats a likely predator, they are also reproducing successfully in the pine forest and pose a long-term threat to the Bahama Oriole population.

Population analysis of feral cats on Andros, Bahamas.