{"id":2209013,"date":"2026-11-15T06:00:16","date_gmt":"2026-11-15T05:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2209013"},"modified":"2026-11-14T13:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T12:22:14","slug":"invasive-rabbits-were-removed-from-an-island-in-chile-then-something-extraordinary-happened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/invasive-rabbits-were-removed-from-an-island-in-chile-then-something-extraordinary-happened\/","title":{"rendered":"Invasive rabbits were removed from an island in Chile \u2013 then something “extraordinary” happened"},"content":{"rendered":"

Peruvian diving petrels have made a remarkable comeback on\u00a0Choros Island, off the coast of northern Chile.<\/p>\n

According to a new study published in Marine Ornithology<\/em>, the population on Choros, an important breeding ground, rocketed up from approximately 12,000 breeding pairs in 2013 to nearly 90,000 breeding pairs in 2024.<\/p>\n

The remarkable increase was achieved through conservation work, including the removal of\u00a0invasive rabbits from the island and restoring critical nesting habitat, with the petrels\u2019\u00a0nesting area expanding from 3.2 hectares in 2010 to more than 10 hectares in 2024.<\/p>\n

The recovery has helped contribute to the species being down-listed from\u00a0Endangered to Near Threatened\u00a0in 2020.<\/p>\n

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\"Peruvian
Peruvian diving petrel in the waters around Choros Island, Chile. Credit: Rodrigo Ortega<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cRemoving invasive rabbits was the game-changer,\u201d says Mar\u00eda Jos\u00e9 Vilches,\u00a0Island Conservation\u2019s conservation impact manager, who led the work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were degrading habitat, stripping vegetation and damaging the burrows Peruvian diving petrels need to nest. That matters because Choros Island is the species\u2019 primary breeding site in Chile and one of its most important breeding strongholds anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

“Previous research found that about 95% of Chile\u2019s breeding population nested on Choros Island, so improving conditions there has an outsized impact on the species\u2019 future. Once the invasive rabbits were gone, the island started to recover. Nesting habitat expanded, and conditions improved greatly for breeding birds.\u201d<\/p>\n