Action Plan to Save the Floreana Mockingbird of Galapagos

Press Release
Puerto Ayora, Galapagos – June 5, 2008

On May 20, the Floreana Mockingbird was uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered, the highest threat category on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List 2008 for birds at risk of extinction. This disturbing news – which resulted in an international call for all-out efforts to save the species, according to a report from the Spanish news agency EFE – has its encouraging side, however: the Charles Darwin Foundation and Galapagos National Park (CDF) now have a Short-term Emergency Management Plan to Safeguard the Floreana Mockingbird. The Floreana Mockingbird (Mimus trifasciatus, previously Nesomimus) is one of the rarest birds in the world. The species disappeared from its island of origin, Floreana, at the end of the 19th century and currently inhabits only two adjacent islets, Champion and Gardner. With the help of the Galapagos National Park (GNP) and visiting scientists, the CDF has carried out various monitoring studies since 2003 to determine the Floreana Mockingbird's population and the possible threats that led to its extinction on Floreana Island proper. Among the main threats identified to date are introduced species and climate changes stemming from El Niño and La Niña events. In 2007, monitoring of this species registered a slight, non-significant population increase to a world total of 137 individuals, compared to fewer than 100 still alive in 2006. Just this year, the CDF finished preparing its Emergency Management Plan to preserve this rare mockingbird by reintroducing it to its original home, using the remaining populations on the two islets. The project consists of three phases. The first involves planning and setting up the task force, gathering information, developing a program to refine mockingbird breeding techniques and procedures for working with the local community, and eradicating all introduced species. The second phase will focus on adapting wild individuals to captivity, facilitating their reproduction, and performing the first release trials. The third and final phase will involve supervising the released population to ensure successful restoration, plus ongoing monitoring of the species for at least five years. The project will last approximately 10 years in all. To assure fulfillment of the project's objectives, support from national and international organizations will be necessary. Only joint efforts can prevent these from being the last 137 Floreana Mockingbirds on Earth.
Mockingbirds in Galapagos
The archipelago has four endemic mockingbird species: the Galapagos, the Floreana, the Española, and the San Cristobal. The last three are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.