Looking Inside A Global Conservation Success Story
Contributed by Nature Seychelles
The Seychelles Mapgpie Robin (Pi Santez) is one of the endemic bird species in the Seychelles that is intensively managed. This is because it is one of the rarest birds on earth. Between the 1950s and 1990s, the whole world population was restricted to Frégate Island and came very close to extinction.
A recovery programme in the 1990s initiated by BirdLife International and taken further by Nature Seychelles saved the species, and this is now seen as an example of a world class conservation success story. The bird is at present found on five islands - Cousin, Fregate, Cousine, Aride and Denis. The population when the program started in the 1990s was 23 birds and today it stands at a minimum of 207 birds.
The success has been due to long term dedication to saving the species by BirdLife and Nature Seychelles with the highly prized collaboration of island owners, massive funding by the RSPB (the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds), the facilitation of the Government and the participation of local stakeholders. The Seychelles Magpie Recovery Team (SMART) - the first participatory conservation stakeholder group in Seychelles, coordinated by Nature Seychelles and comprising island owners and managers, and the Ministry of Environment - harmonizes current conservation and management of the species, but all islands are responsible for their populations. SMART holds meetings twice a year to report on the populations, and review and plan conservation efforts.
Cousin Island’s Seychelles Magpie Robin population now stands at 38. This is up from the 26 reported during the same period in 2009. The population is also using all the ten territories of the magpie robin on Cousin, and there is a dominant breeding pair in nine out of ten territories. In 2009, out of the ten territories only five were occupied by a dominant pair.
This is welcome news as Seychelles Mapgie Robins are highly territorial and monogamous. So having a dominant male and female in each territory, and having each territory occupied is good for reproduction.
Although the news that the territories are occupied is welcome, there is also the recognition that we are not far from carrying capacity. Only the hill on Cousin is available for new territories but it’s not that suitable in terms of food availability. Magpies prefer areas with plenty of leaf litter where they can find insects and small soil invertebrates. When territories are full, new juveniles may start to fight with dominant males for territory. Aggressive behaviour can cause casualties and may also distract and interrupt breeding by established pairs.
Magpies nest in trees in a hole or coconut crown and also readily adapt to nest-boxes. In Cousin, management reviewed the set-up and maintenance of nest boxes to improve breeding success after noticing that most boxes were either abandoned or being invaded by skinks and/or geckos, which are suspected to predate on magpie eggs and pullus (newly hatched chick, not yet fledged).
Data on every individual in the population - including breeding and social status - is recorded in a shared database. All individuals in the population are identified by unique coloured rings and birds are ringed just before fledging.
Source: Regar 7-30-10