News from the RSPB site

The Tristan albatross, one of the world's most threatened birds, has suffered its worst nesting season ever, according to RSPB research.

The number of chicks making it through to fledging has decreased rapidly and it is now five times lower than it should be because introduced predatory mice are eating the chicks alive on Gough island - the bird’s only home and a South Atlantic territory of the United Kingdom.



The mice are also affecting the Gough bunting – one of the world’s largest finches – another species endemic to Gough island. A recent survey of the bunting’s population reveals that the population has halved within the last two decades. Now there are only an estimated 400-500 pairs left.

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