Abstract: To address the frequent communication interruptions caused by pecking damage to aerial optical cables in bird-active areas, a novel high-density lightweight bird-proof optical cable was designed. A layered stranding structure with three 48-core high-density buffer tubes was adopted, which achieved high fiber density while effectively reducing the outer diameter and mass of the aerial optical cable. Additionally, stainless steel tape armoring and red stripes were incorporated to balance the bird-proof performance and mechanical performance of the aerial optical cable. Test results showed that compared to the GYTS-144B1.3 and GYTA53-144B1.3 optical cable the force required to peck through 5 mm of the high core density lightweight bird-proof aerial optical cable increased by 33.6% and 17.5% respectively. According to the actual application feedback of the high core density lightweight bird-proof aerial optical cable, the bird pecking accident rate had been reduced by 80%.