Feral cats are believed to have contributed to the extinction of the Stephens Island wren.
The small, flightless Stephens Island wren lived on an island off the coast of New Zealand, before going extinct in 1895 due to land development and the introduction of cats to the area.
According to folklore, a cat named Tibbles moved to the island with her owner in 1984 and killed off the rest of the species. However, a report by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand suggests other feral cats contributed to the bird’s extinction.
