Galapagos Rail Rediscovered on Floreana Island After Nearly Two Centuries
Floreana Island, Galapagos, Ecuador | 27 February, 2025 – The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco, and the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) are pleased to announce the confirmed presence of the Galapagos Rail, Laterallus spilonota, on Floreana Island. This remarkable rediscovery marks the first official record of the bird on the island since Charles Darwin first recorded it during his visit in 1835.
The Galapagos Rail, a small, terrestrial bird endemic to the Galapagos Islands, has been severely impacted by invasive species. Floreana Island, historically overrun with feral pigs, goats, cows, dogs, and more recently, invasive cats and rodents, suffered some of the worst impacts. These introduced predators and competitors are believed to have played a major role in the decline of native wildlife, including the Galapagos Rail, especially prior to the creation of the National Park in 1959.
Despite extensive repeated surveys, the most recent in 1987 by scientist Daniel Rosenberg, that included playback recordings at 150 locations, the species remained undetected. Since then, no visual or acoustic records had been made, leading many to believe the species was locally extinct. While anecdotal reports hinted at the bird's possible persistence on Floreana, confirmation remained elusive–until now.
The Galapagos Rail is a small bird, weighing between 35-45 grams, with dark gray plumage, a brown back, red eyes, and fine white speckles on the rear half of its body. Juveniles are mostly gray and lack the white speckles. Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, the Galapagos Rail currently exists on Fernandina, Isabela, Pinta, Pinzón, Santa Cruz, and Santiago. Its persistence on Floreana and San Cristóbal, where it was known to have existed, has long been a mystery. The bird is known for its furtive nature, often hiding in dense vegetation like tall grass and tangled forest understory. It emits a variety of vocalizations, including clucks, churrs, squeaks, and extended rattles, and historically inhabited both highland and coastal mangrove areas.
During their most recent annual landbird monitoring trip to the island, CDF scientists and park rangers recorded the elusive bird at three different sites in Floreana’s transition zone, a grassland overgrown with guava trees, far from agricultural areas. The confirmed findings include six acoustic records, two visual confirmations, and one photograph. All these sites have been monitored by CDF annually since 2015, and serve as part of their long-term population counts and an effort to find the four lost bird species of Floreana–including the Galapagos Rail. Incredibly, this marks the first confirmed record of the species on Floreana in 190 years.
“This is a beautiful surprise,” said Birgit Fessl, Principal Investigator for landbird conservation efforts at the Charles Darwin Foundation. “There are two possible explanations for these new records: either the Galapagos Rail recolonized the island, or it was never truly extinct but remained undetected due to extremely low population numbers. The latter is more likely, as these birds are not strong flyers, and their presence at multiple sites suggests they have been there all along, just in very low numbers.”
Santiago Dvorak
This rediscovery is a significant step forward for the Floreana Restoration Project, which had identified the Galapagos Rail as one of 12 locally extinct species targeted for reintroduction. This discovery comes a year after a large-scale eradication campaign, led by the GNPD and Fundación Jocotoco with support from Island Conservation and other partners, took place at the end of 2023. The campaign successfully removed most invasive cats and rats from the island, likely playing a crucial role in creating a safer environment for the species' reappearance and recovery.
“This finding demonstrates that ecosystems can recover if given the opportunity. The eradication of invasive species has allowed a species we believed to be locally extinct to once again be part of Floreana’s environment,” stated Arturo Izurieta, Director of the GNPD.
Victor Carrión, Island Restoration Coordinator for the Jocotoco Galapagos Program, highlighted the importance of this moment: “The removal of invasive species is a game-changer for Floreana’s biodiversity. It is highly likely that the impact of the eradication campaign on feral cats and rodents has provided a safer environment for the Galapagos Rail to survive and potentially increase in numbers. This discovery gives us great hope for the island’s restoration efforts.”
Santiago Dvorak
Carlos Espinosa/CDF
The next steps for researchers will include genetic sampling to determine whether the Galapagos Rail population newly recorded on Floreana is a reintroduced lineage or a remnant population that managed to survive undetected for nearly two centuries. Either way, this discovery is a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to safeguard the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands.
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Notes to Editors:
About the Floreana Ecological Restoration Project
The Floreana Ecological Restoration Project aims to restore the island’s original ecosystems by eradicating three invasive species (two rodent species and feral cats) and subsequently reintroducing 12 native species that have been extirpated from the island. Through science-based actions and collaborative work with the local community, this effort will help reestablish the island’s ecological balance, benefiting both its biodiversity and its 150 residents.
About the Charles Darwin Foundation
The Charles Darwin Foundation for the Galápagos Islands (CDF) is an international non-profit organization that has been present in Galápagos since 1959, operating under a special agreement with the Government of Ecuador. Its mission, along with that of its Research Station, is to tackle the greatest threats and challenges facing Galapagos through scientific research and conservation actions, aiming to protect one of the world’s most important natural treasures. Currently, CDF conducts over 25 research and conservation projects and curates more than 135,000 specimens within its Natural History Collections. The foundation's diverse team consists of more than 140 members, primarily Ecuadorian citizens, with over 60% being Galapagos residents. For more information, visit: www.darwinfoundation.org.
About Fundación Jocotoco
Fundación Jocotoco is a non-governmental organization dedicated to biodiversity conservation in Ecuador, protecting critical habitats for threatened species. With 26 years of experience, it has established and manages several nature reserves, including the Los Petreles Reserve, where it focuses on ecosystem restoration and the protection of unique flora and fauna. Its work is driven by science and community participation to ensure long-term conservation.
About the Galapagos National Park Directorate
The Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) is responsible for the protection, conservation, and management of the natural resources within the terrestrial and marine protected areas of the Galapagos Islands and their surrounding waters. Its primary mission is to safeguard the archipelago’s unique biodiversity—recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—through the implementation of conservation strategies and regulations. Additionally, the GNPD oversees tourism and scientific activities, ensuring they are conducted sustainably and do not compromise the integrity of the ecosystems.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Charles Darwin Foundation
or
Leslie León
Fundación Jocotoco
Maria Isabel Grijalva
isabel.grijalva@jocotoco.org.ec
Galapagos National Park Directorate
Rosa León