Sanders and Maloney (2002): Causes of mortality at nests of ground-nesting birds in the Upper Waitaki Basin, New Zealand: a five-year video study.

Sanders, M.D.; Maloney, R.F. 2002. Causes of mortality at nests of ground-nesting birds in the Upper Waitaki Basin, New Zealand: a five-year video study. Biological Conservation 106: 225-236.

This study used video cameras to obtain definitive evidence of the causes of mortality at nests of three species of ground-nesting birds. Unlike most video studies, this study videoed sufficient nests to draw conclusions about the relative impacts of various predators. Seventy-seven lethal events were recorded at 172 nests. Cats, ferrets, and hedgehogs accounted for 43, 19, and 18% of mortality at nests. Cats were the only predator to take adult birds. Stoats, avian predators, and other causes of mortality each accounted for <4% of lethal events. The paper also reports on the duration and diurnal timing of predation.