Invasive Mice

Tag: Invasive Mice

Sand Island Study Reveals Invasive Rodent Diets and Complexities of Ecosystem Conservation

Sand Island, part of a small atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, is home to a diverse range of bird species, including most notably hundreds of thousands of mōlī (Laysan Albatross). However, these birds face a significant threat from introduced invasive rodents, which attack nesting mōlī. A recent study, published in the influential journal Public […]

Written by on October 25, 2023

Preventing Seabird Extinction on Gough Island

Endangered seabirds including MacGillivray’s Prion, are inching closer to extinction on Gough Island, and removing invasive mice will be a saving grace for these birds. Gough Island in the South Atlantic is a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to around 8 million seabirds including the Tristan albatross (Diomedea dabbenena), Atlantic Petrel (Pterodroma incerta), and Atlantic […]

Written by on April 5, 2021

Buds, Bugs, Birds: Science of Conservation

Research on Midway Atoll seeks to uncover the hidden impacts that invasive mice have beyond seabirds to the ecosystem-wide impacts on bugs and plants. Midway is the world’s largest albatross colony and provides globally significant breeding grounds and migration stopover points for more than 3 million birds from nearly 30 different species. Midway is a […]

Written by on October 9, 2019

New Zealand Government Launches Ambitious Restoration Program

New Zealand’s goal to become Predator Free by 2050 is underway, and one of the first places to benefit from restoration efforts will be Auckland Island. Invasive predators have devastated wildlife and plants on the island. They were introduced to the island from expeditions and shipwrecks and since arriving, the invasive mice, feral cats, and […]

Written by on July 11, 2018

Getting to Know the Friends of Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge

Midway Atoll is a vital seabird conservation area where millions of birds go to breed and nest every year. Luckily, dedicated conservationists at the Friends of Midway Atoll work to preserve, protect, and restore the islands. Midway Atoll is an isolated spot of land located on the far northern end of the Hawaiian archipelago. Due […]

Written by on June 21, 2018

Do Bird-eating Mice Pose a Danger to Wisdom the Albatross?

Wisdom, the world’s oldest known wild bird, has survived more than six decades of trials and tribulations, but Midway Atoll’s mouse problem is a new threat. By: Kim Steutermann Rogers When the world’s oldest known wild bird, Wisdom, comes soaring in from a multi-week foraging trip to the North Pacific and drops her spatula-size feet onto the […]

Written by on April 19, 2018

Prions Under Attack on Gough Island

MacGillivray’s Prions on Gough Island are facing a high rate of breeding failure because of predation by invasive mice. Conservationists are working to solve this problem and prevent the extinction of native seabirds. By: Jaimie Cleeland MacGillivray’s Prions (Pachyptila macgillivrayi) breed in Prion Cave on Gough Island from November though to April and during this time the […]

Written by on February 20, 2018

Can the Native Species of Gough Island Be Saved from Deadly Invasive Mice?

Invasive mice are decimating the Tristan Albatross population on Gough Island, but conservationists are at work to put an end to the destruction. Self-contained, [island] flora and fauna adapt rapidly and with beautiful precision to their exact circumstances. But when man blunders in, bringing invasive species as his fellow travellers, carnage ensues. Gough Island, of the Tristan […]

Written by on November 8, 2016

Scientific Sanctuary Maud Island, NZ, is Now Pest-free

Maud Island is a scientific sanctuary in the Marlborough Sounds. In 2013, invasive mice were discovered damaging the native ecosystem on Maud Island, New Zealand. Kakapo, native insects including weta, lizards, and the endemic Maud Island Frog were in need of conservation intervention. Maud Island biodiversity ranger Frank Higgott and his partner Sue Caldwell began a program to […]

Written by on October 13, 2016