Small seabirds skim the open ocean at night, patting their legs on the surface as they hunt for small fish. Now, for the first time in more than 100 years, endangered Polynesian storm petrels (Nesofregetta fuliginosa) have returned to a far-flung island in French Polynesia. These rare birds began exploring Kamaka Island just three weeks after conservationists set up special equipment to attract them back, according to Coral Wolf, conservation science program manager at Island Conservation, the U.S.-based NGO overseeing the project. “This remarkable progress brings hope for the future, as the Polynesian storm petrels reclaim their island home,” Tehotu Reasin, landowner of Kamaka Island, said in a statement. “These seabirds bring critical nutrients from the ocean to the island, which cascades down into the surrounding marine environment, benefiting fish and corals. The entire ecosystem can once again thrive.” Gear and equipment arriving on Kamaka Island, French Polynesia for the restoration project. Image courtesy of Austin Hall/Island Conservation. A Polynesian storm petrels (Nesofregetta fuliginosa) flies over the open ocean near Rapa Iti Island, French Polynesia. Photo courtesy of Hadoram Shiriai. Researchers estimate that numbers of storm petrels were once quite high on Kamaka Island, as a relatively large number of individuals were recovered from an archeological site on the island. However none have been seen on the island since 1922. Now, o<nly an estimated 250-1,000 mature individuals remain in the wild. Getting the birds to return required solving a serious problem: invasive rats that had driven the ground-nesting birds to…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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