Endangered species

Polynesian storm-petrel returns home after 100 years

Once widespread across the south Pacific, the Polynesian storm-petrel was driven from its home over a century ago by invasive species, including rats, which out-competed and predated the ground-nesting seabird to the brink of extinction.

29/01/2025
Words by Rob Hutchins
Photography by Island Conservation

After a 100-year absence and a concerted restoration project to revive its south Pacific habitat, the endangered Polynesian storm-petrel – a ground nesting seabird also referred to as white-throated – has finally made its return to Kamaka Island in French Polynesia. 

Once widespread across the south Pacific, the Polynesian storm-petrel suffered a stark decline in population due to increased competition and over-predation from invasive species, including rats which have posed a significant threat to the seabird’s survival.

So intense has this threat been that the Polynesian storm-petrel had been driven to the very brink of extinction, with somewhere between just 250 to 1,000 mature individuals left in the wild.

Now, with thanks to an ongoing restoration and rewilding project orchestrated by Island Conservation, Société d’Ornithologie de Polynésie (SOP Manu), the Reasin family, and the Mangareva Community as part of the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge, the seabird is finally making its return home to Kamaka Island. 

It’s been more than 100 years since the Polynesian storm-petrel – so named by local fishers who according to traditional folklore believed the bird would only make its sudden appearance at the coming of a storm – was last spotted within its former island habitat. 

“With only 250 to 1,000 mature individuals estimated to remain in the wild, the restoration of Kamaka Island in the Gambier Archipelago is crucial for the global recovery of the Polynesian storm-petrel,” said Coral Wolf, conservation impact manager at Island Conservation. “The quick return of these birds scouting for future nesting sites provides an outstanding opportunity to establish another secure breeding population.”

The ambitious restoration project to revive storm-petrel numbers has required a three-phase approach. The first witnessed the deployment of drones to remove invasive rodents from Kamaka Island, allowing endangered birds to return to what is now a secure breeding site. To then attract the Polynesian storm-petrels to the island, the team installed two solar-powered sound systems, ready-to-live-in burrows for nesting, and motion-sensing cameras. 

The sound systems broadcast recorded sounds from the nearby Manui Island storm-petrel colony, while the cameras documented seabird activity. The four ‘luxury’ burrows, meanwhile, were constructed to facilitate monitoring and improve nesting habitat.

After the deployment of the sound systems in March last year – just prior to the start of the breeding season – cameras detected individuals visiting one of the sites, once in April and another in May. By June 2024, and through the remainder of the breeding period, storm-petrels were visiting both sound systems and began spending time in the nest boxes.

“The results of our social attraction efforts were quickly apparent – Polynesian storm-petrels began visiting at the start of the nesting season and became regular visitors, while also spending time in the nest boxes,” said Thomas Ghestemme from SOP Manu.

“In total, six seabird species are now confirmed as breeding on the island, with two other species likely, including the IUCN Near Threatened Tahiti Petrel. This species, if confirmed, will be a new addition to Kamaka’s breeding seabirds list.”

The project was made possible through funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and is part of the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge founded by Island Conservation, Re:wild, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography which aims to begin restoring 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems by 2030.

“This remarkable progress brings hope for the future, as the Polynesian storm-petrels reclaim their island home,” said Tehotu Reasin, landowner of Kamaka Island. “These seabirds bring critical nutrients from the ocean to the island, which cascades down into the surrounding marine environment benefitting fish and corals. The entire ecosystem can once again thrive.”

Click here for more from the Oceanographic Newsroom.

Words by Rob Hutchins
Photography by Island Conservation

Printed editions

Current issue

Back issues

Enjoy so much more from Oceanographic Magazine by becoming a subscriber.
A range of subscription options are available.