What is the slowest FPS, but will still be able to kill a bird?

slowest f.p.s. with what projectile and what kind of "bird". A grouse is easier to down than a goose.

Something in my backyard.

A well placed rock thrown with your hand will kill a small bird. An air pistol in the .177 cal. will kill a bird, which would be around 500-600 f.p.s.. Some bows shoot around 180 f.p.s. and are very leathel! A well placed shot from a wrist rocket loaded with ball bearings can't be going much faster than 150 f.p.s., and will kill a small bird!!

I guess what Howler is describing is Energy, not velocity. Energy = (mv^2)/2. One half mass times the velocity squared.

The rock is the big mass, with slow velocity.
The pellet is the small mass with the big velocity.

The real secret in arms development is the square of the velocity. Barrel damage and shot drop is a function of the velocity, but energy is the function of the velocity squared, which increases much faster than the velocity. Hence the popularity of the 223 and the .17 rounds.

You could that bird with a feather, if you could get it going fast enough.

PS: I like Colibiri 22s, but just because I don't own an air rifle accurate enough.

So 500 fps could kill a robin? They are the dumbest bird. Period.

get ya a couple of good cats or a good bird dog. . . a terrier dog will work great on robins. . . it might not kill it, but it'll have tons of fun chasing the birds outta the yard!!!

I'm allergic to cats. And I already have 2 labs. Also will a 1000 fps pellet gun kill a squirrel?

Bump.

Yes, BUT you need to be close, (with-in 50')and shoot for the base of the ear.
I've shot a bunch of rabbits with my air pistol, which is rated at about 550'/sec. BUT all of them were shots of less than 50', head shots only!
I say head shots because any thing other than that, the critters will get to a hole before they die!