Next month BirdLife International, a global partnership of 115 organizations working to protect birds and their habitats, will mark its 100th anniversary by holding the BirdLife World Congress in London. The event will bring together scientists, conservationists, and other stakeholders from around the world. BirdLife has a lot to celebrate on its 100th birthday. It […]
Tag: Galapagos Islands
Iguanas reproducing on Galapagos island century after disappearing
A land iguana that disappeared more than a century ago from one of the Galapagos Islands is reproducing naturally following its reintroduction there, Ecuador’s environment ministry announced Monday. The reptile from the Conolophus subcristatus species, one of three land iguanas living on the archipelago, disappeared from Santiago Island in the early part of the 20th […]
Septuagenarian giant Galapagos tortoise successfully mates with three younger females to produce offspring
DIRK, a 70-year-old Galapagos tortoise, has given birth to the first tortoise born in the United Kingdom. The sassy old-timer, named after well-endowed porn actor Dirk Diggler from the film Boogie Nights, mated with lover Charlie, who is 49 years his junior. He has also approached Zuzu and Isabella, the other two girls in his […]
‘It is phenomenal’: Farne Islands seal numbers expected to reach new high
“This is what it’s all about,” said Richard Bevan, beaming. “To see this many seals when 10 years ago there would not have been any.” Bevan is a zoologist surveying the shore of Inner Farne island off the coast of north Northumberland. As far as the eye can sea there are about 100 female grey […]
Poison-laden drones to patrol New Zealand wilderness on the hunt for invasive pests
A large rat scampers across a shady forest floor in search of its latest meal of Kiwi chicks, one of New Zealand’s endangered native birds. But the rodent is in the sights of another predator – a mammoth drone carrying hundreds of kilograms of deadly poison. This scene could soon be playing out across New […]
Growing parasite threat to finches made famous by Darwin
The birds that helped Charles Darwin refine his theory of evolution are in danger of going extinct, according to a new study. Finches in the Galapagos Islands are being threatened by a parasitic fly that attacks their young. A new mathematical model suggests that the birds may succumb to this pest in 50 years. But […]
Blue-footed boobies on the decline, plummeting sardine stocks may be to blame
The iconic blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) of the Galapagos Islands has suffered a population decline of 50 percent in less than 20 years, according to research conducted by biologists from Wake Forest University. The study, which appeared in the journal Avian Conservation and Ecology, suggests the unexplained disappearance of sardines from the birds’ diet is […]
Scientists identify 137 protected areas most important for preserving biodiversity
Want to save the world’s biodiversity from mass extinction? Then make certain to safeguard the 74 sites identified today in a new study in Science. Evaluating 173,000 terrestrial protected areas, scientists pulled out the most important ones for global biodiversity based on the number of threatened mammals, birds, and amphibians found in the parks. In […]