The control of predators to protect populations of vulnerable bird species is an important nature
conservation issue because in recent years predation pressure upon many populations has
increased. Predator removal by culling or translocation is controversial, expensive, timeconsuming
and often temporary and so it is important that the effectiveness of the practice is
assessed using available evidence. The aim of the current systematic review is to use explicit
systematic review methodology to determine the impact of predator removal on bird breeding
performance and population size. We also investigate whether nest predator exclusion using
fences or nest-cages is an effective strategy for protecting bird populations, as although both
exclusion techniques have been widely used, studies that have tested their effectiveness have
shown mixed results.