Thought to be extinct: a bird not seen for 200 years spotted in the Galapagos Islands

The Galápagos rail, known locally as a Pachay, which is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, was last observed by Charles Darwin on the island of Floreana in 1835. This species was considered extinct at the island level for a long time and needed to be reintroduced from other parts of the Galapagos archipelago.

However, during recent field research, it was rediscovered. This was reported by naturalist and writer and content creator Megan Shearsby for BBC Wildlife.

During the research, a local resident and a conservationist spotted the bird, and it was subsequently officially recorded at three different locations on the island, including six acoustic recordings, two visual sightings, and one photograph.

After almost two centuries, its reappearance was due to a project to restore the ecosystem of Floreana Island, launched in 2023 by environmental organizations and local residents. The goal of the project was to rid the island of invasive species, including rodents and feral cats. Interestingly, the rail also returned to the neighboring island of Pinson in 2018 after the rodents were completely eradicated from the island in 2012. Scientist Paula Castaño said:

"The rediscovery of the Galápagos rail confirms observations from around the world – removing invasive threats allows native species to recover incredibly well. This is a great victory for Floreana, and it inspires us to make new achievements in the recovery of native species on this island."

At the moment, it is not known whether the rails appeared on the island on their own or whether they have been there all along, but their population was extremely low and invisible.

This discovery is not the only one in the Galapagos Islands: Rabida Island has also seen a longer reappearance – a gecko known only from subfossil records dating back more than 5000 years was rediscovered thanks to conservation efforts.

Interestingly, the Galápagos rail is on a list of 12 species that were thought to be locally extinct on Floreana. Among them are the Floreana giant tortoise (or its very close hybrid descendants), the Floreana mockingbird, the Floreana racer, and the Galápagos barn owl. These species will also be reintroduced as part of the island's ecological restoration.

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