Kamaka Island landowner says entire ecosystem can thrive again with birds returning.
A migratory and pelagic bird
The storm petrel, or storm petrel, is the smallest seabird in Europe, according to the National Inventory of Natural Heritage. It measures between 15 and 16 cm for an average weight of 26 grams and as specified by the Iroise Marine Natural Park, it is a pelagic species.
A pelagic bird spends its life on the high seas, and only to reproduce does it return to land. It is also a migratory species: petrels found in the northern Atlantic will spend the winter in Africa.
A single egg on the ground
This species is protected and classified as vulnerable on the red list of breeding birds in France, according to the Iroise Marine Park. The bird is in fact directly threatened by several factors, notably egg predation, one of the main threats to the species.
The storm-petrel lays a single egg which will develop on the ground, therefore within reach of predators. And that's not all: on the islets of the Molène archipelago, there are no rats, but owls, gulls and peregrine falcons which directly attack storm-petrels.
Eliminate rats, save birds
It is precisely because of rats that white-throated storm petrels have not been seen for a century on the island of Kamaka in French Polynesia. These birds were once widespread throughout the South Pacific.
To overcome these rodents, several associations worked hand in hand. They notably deployed drones to eliminate rats, and installed two solar-powered sound systems in March to attract birds, according to a press release dated November 12, 2024.
The results are conclusive: “The results of our social attraction efforts were quickly apparent […] In total, six species of seabirds are now confirmed to breed on the island, with two more species likely,” Thomas Ghestemme of SOP MANU said in the statement.
A repopulation of this seabird is extremely important for the local ecosystem. Indeed, Tehotu Reasin, landowner of Kamaka Island explains that these birds bring essential nutrients from the ocean to the island, “which benefits the fish and corals”.
Source : IFLScience
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