If it is safe at night to have the cat outside it could hunt then. That is what some friends do since they have lots of birds.
But you have to look for a cat or kitten that already knows how, they are supposed to learn it from their mother, but I have had to teach kittens. If they learn too late they are never good at it.
My best killer cat was never too interested in birds, and I taught her to bring me everything so I could rescue the occasional hummingbird (they are easy to rescue, they are either dead or have fainted)
