Bird Island is the northernmost island in the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

archipelago, 100 km from Mahe. The 0.94 km²

coral island A coral island is a type of island formed from coral detritus and associated organic material. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas, typically as part of a coral reef which has grown to cover a far larger area under the sea. Ecosystem ...

is known for its

birdlife BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

, including sooty terns,

fairy tern The fairy tern (''Sternula nereis'') is a small tern which is native to the southwestern Pacific. It is listed as " Vulnerable" by the IUCN and the New Zealand subspecies is " Critically Endangered". There are three subspecies: * Australian fai ...

s and common noddies, and for

hawksbill The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is large ...

and

green turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

s. It is now a private resort with 7 chalet-villas It also contains a small weather station and a small landing strip Bird Island Airport which connects the island with Mahe. Bird Island used to be known as "Île aux Vaches" due to the numerous

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

s (sea cows) that lived in nearby waters. Between 1896 and 1906, 17,000 tons of guano was removed from the island and exported to Mauritius as fertilizer. The island has been a coconut plantation, and for growing cash crops such as papaya and cotton. This island was discovered by the captain James Cook in 1775 when his Ship named ''The Eagle'' was passing by this island. He described the island covered with birds and many sea cows. He named it Bird island. In 1808, the French ship Hirondelle sank on a cliff off the northeast coast of Bird Island. Half of the 180 people onboard died. The other half reached Bird Island. Six of them managed to reach Mahé. The others were then rescued and shifted to Mahé. In 1882, a passing British ship found two Africans living on the island, salting fish and birds in what must have been the loneliest of existences. Since 1967 it has been privately owned by a Seychellois accountant named Guy Savy. Conservation measures have taken place such protection of birdlife and

hawksbill turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is lar ...

nesting sites, the eradication of

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

rats and rabbits and the translocation of a population of Seychelles sunbird. Bird Island is named in honour of its spectacular colony of around 700,000 pairs of sooty tern that nest on the island. The birds arrive from late March, laying eggs in May and remaining until October before leaving the island. Another phenomenon especially in October to December arises from the geographical location of Bird Island on the northern edge of the

Bank. This means it is the first landfall for migratory Eurasian birds and Seychelles Bird Records Committee has recorded here many species new to the country. The world's biggest and heaviest free roaming tortoise Esmeralda lives on this island. It weighs over 670 pounds (304kg) and is thought to be as much as 170 years old. Esmeralda was named by

Lyall Watson Lyall Watson (12 April 1939 – 25 June 2008) was a South African botanist, zoologist, biologist, anthropologist, ethologist, and author of many books, among the most popular of which is the best seller ''Supernature''. Lyall Watson tried to mak ...

, the famous botanist/zoologist and author of Supernature.

Gallery

References

External links

Newsletter of Bird Island WildlifeBird Island Nature Conservation

Seychelles Bird Records Committee
Islands of La Digue and Inner Islands Important Bird Areas of Seychelles Private islands of Seychelles {{Seychelles-geo-stub