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A comment on Increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce avian fatalities. Parent comment

Re:Increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce a... by colechristensen on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @04:21PM (#32654570)
In many many places domestic cats aren’t much of an invasive species. In north and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa there are similar cat species of similar size that take up a similar niche which were recently extinct (at least locally) many of which are closely enough related to housecats that they can interbreed.

One of the reasons to worry about domestic cats in some areas of the British isles is not to protect birds and the like, but to protect the closely related extant cat species that is getting its genetics replaced too much with housecat genetics. This wild cat used to have very broad ranges which disappeared.

Islands with no cat species don’t have this consideration of course.

Bird populations in places that should have and used to have catlike predators are and should be fine for the most part. Predators tend to help the population dynamics and health of prey species. Some people are just really uncomfortable with predation.

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Re:Increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce a... by Errsher on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @04:45PM (#32654809)
I don't know the specific numbers, and I've only just seen one or two studies (would appreciate an alternative numbers) - but if a three 3 billion bird reduction is almost a third of the total population in birds in North America since 1970s, and cats are killing at least 1.3 billion per year... I guess that's "fine for the most part"?

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaw1313

The predation of cats is also unnaturally controlled as they are domesticated; people view them as pets primarily and thus prevent them from being killed (their predators are also heavily controlled - wolves, coyotes, etc). I don't see how you could compare that niche to previously extinct, naturally local species.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce a... by lstodd on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @05:23PM (#32655293)
> I don't know the specific numbers, and I've only just seen one or two studies

You might as well cut you comment at this point.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Increased wind turbine rotor blade visibility to reduce a... by Errsher on Tuesday August 30, 2022 @06:10PM (#32655816)
One or two studies is more than the “zero” amount of data that’s been provided by anyone else at this point. I look forward to you sharing more specific numbers that counter the numbers I’ve provided.
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