Return of the Rails: Signs of Recovery on Floreana Island

Floreana Island, Ecuador–The observations Charles Darwin made during his 1835 visit to the Galápagos Islands give us a snapshot of what the archipelago looked like almost 200 years ago. He recorded the presence of a small, secretive bird on Floreana Island: the Galápagos Rail (Laterallus spilonota). After his visit, it was never seen on the island again—until now. 

Just two years ago, our team partnered with the Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos (DPNG), Galapagos Biosecurity Agency (ABG), Fundación Jocotoco, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) to launch the large-scale Floreana Island Restoration Project. By removing invasive species that devastated native wildlife for generations, we’ve created a safe environment for species to recover and once again thrive. 

The Galápagos Rail, a land-bird endemic to the archipelago, has been severely impacted by invasive species. It dwells on the ground, where it is extremely vulnerable to predators and relies on dense, lush vegetation to hide in. But, despite its Near-Threatened conservation status, it is a resilient and resourceful little bird.  

Galápagos Rails, locally known as Pachays, have been quick to return to restored islands. In 2018, six years after we successfully removed invasive species from nearby Pinzón Island, the Rails were among the first locally-extinct animals to reappear—along with other species such as the Cactus Finch. 

It hasn’t been long since the Floreana Island Restoration Project began, but the Rails have already decided it’s time to show themselves on Floreana Island.  

During their most recent annual landbird monitoring expedition on the island, the CDF research team and DPNG rangers recorded the bird’s presence at three distinct sites. That’s enough to call them a real population. The birds were present away from human habitation and agriculture, in a grassland shaded by guava trees. Confirmed findings include six acoustic records, two visual sightings, and one photograph. And it isn’t a coincidence that they’re back now—the site has been monitored for the Galápagos Rail consistently since 2015, and this is the first year they’re back. 

“The rediscovery of the Galápagos Rail confirms what we’ve seen on islands worldwide—remove the invasive threats, and native species can recover in remarkable ways,” said Island Conservation’s Paula Castaño, our Conservation Impact Program Manager, Reintroduction and Risk Mitigation and resident expert in species reappearances—especially in the Galápagos. “This is an incredible win for Floreana, and fuels our excitement about what other native species might resurface as the island continues its journey toward ecological recovery.” 

Wilson Cabrera, a local Island Restoration Specialist with Jocotoco, may have been the first to spot the rails during his fieldwork before official evidence was collected. “I am very excited to be part of the monitoring work on Floreana Island and to share this great news about the presence of the Pachay on the island. This finding is a reflection of the ongoing efforts dedicated to the ecological restoration of Floreana and a further step towards the conservation of its biodiversity.” [translated from Spanish]

Next, scientists must use genetic sampling to determine whether these newly recorded birds are from a self-reintroduced lineage or whether there was a tiny population of Rails that survived, undetected, for 190 years. It’s not unheard of: on nearby Rábida, our restoration efforts led to the rediscovery of a species of gecko that was only known to science through subfossil records dated more than 5000 years old. They’d been living on the island in very low numbers for hundreds of years, and only once holistic restoration had taken place were they able to increase their numbers to detectable levels. 

This early recovery is a great sign for Floreana. As part of the project, we and our partners plan to reintroduce 12 locally-extinct species to the island—and the Galápagos Rail is one of them. With a local population already establishing itself, chances are good for a successful reintroduction. Soon, we hope, Floreana’s grasslands will be home to a large, thriving colony of Rails. And it gives us hope that there might be even more “extinct” Galápagos species to find! 

This project was made possible thanks to funding from the UK Government through the Darwin Initiative, Aurum Fund Management Ltd., The Tresanton Trust, Galapagos Conservation Trust, Re:wild, Island Conservation, Blue Action Fund, the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition at the University of Vienna, International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, Global Environment Facility/CAF, FIAS/FEIG, Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Fund, Galapagos Conservancy, COmON Foundation/Fundación Charles Darwin, Canodros, and Splendor.

The Floreana Island Restoration Project is part of the international initiative the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge, founded by Island Conservation, Re:wild, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, to restore and rewild 40 globally significant island-ocean ecosystems by 2030.

Media inquiries:

Sally Esposito, Island Conservation: sally.esposito@islandconservation.org

Interviews avail. upon request

Photos of Floreana: here

About the collaborators:  

Island Conservation is the world’s only international non-profit conservation organization dedicated solely to restoring islands for nature and people worldwide. Island Conservation is committed to a holistic island-marine ecosystem restoration method that combines efforts to improve community livelihoods, manage invasive species, and reintroduce native species.   

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is an international charity, headquartered at Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands, working to save species from extinction through providing on-the-ground conservation, training, and science.   

Jocotoco Foundation is an Ecuadorian non-governmental organization (NGO), to protect areas of critical importance for the conservation of threatened species in Ecuador. They have established a network of 15 nature reserves across the country, which together add up to 33,000 hectares.   

The Galapagos Conservation Trust is the only UK-registered charity to focus exclusively on the conservation and sustainable development of the Galapagos Archipelago and its unique biodiversity.   

The Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition, a core facility of the University of Vienna, is an international center for advanced teaching and research into the behavior and biodiversity of wildlife. The Research Center hosts public lectures and supports citizen science and open science activities. 

The Charles Darwin Foundation is a renowned nonprofit organization committed to the conservation of the unique biodiversity and ecosystems of the Galápagos Islands. Through research, innovation, and collaboration, the CDF plays a pivotal role in the preservation and sustainable management of this iconic archipelago. To learn more about the Charles Darwin Foundation and their work, please visit www.darwinfoundation.org.