The Department of Conservation is advising people in Palmerston North to keep pet birds inside after a spate of attacks by native falcons.
Flocks of pigeons and chickens have been destroyed by the New Zealand falcon on the outskirts of the city in the past few weeks.
DoC ranger Lorraine Cook says young falcons are seeking easy prey in urban areas.
She says people should keep birds in a coop or shed, until the falcons move to other hunting grounds.
The New Zealand falcon is relatively rare and is protected under the Wildlife Act.
