Encouraging results concerning the protection of the ’Tuit tuit’ on La Réunion

One of the objectives of Life+ Cap DOM is to safeguard the future of the ’Tuit tuit’ (Réunion Cuckoo-shrike), a bird endemic to the island of La Réunion and classified as Critically Endangered (CR) by IUCN and Birdlife International (2008), the most important cause of its decline being predation by rats.

The bird’s breeding season finished at the end of this month and SEOR, which is in charge of the conservation programme together with the National Park of La Réunion, has made a census which shows that of the 32 breeding pairs, only 13 laid eggs between September 2012 and March 2103. The good news is that none of the nests suffered rat predation and in the end 19 young fledged successfully !

These positive results are largely due to the large-scale rat extermination project carried out in 2012 by SEOR and the National Park authorities, one of the key actions supported by Europe. So, next time you visit the La Roche Écrite NNR on La Réunion, don’t forget to look up as you may well see some new inhabitants up in the branches!

Marc Salamolard, Wildlife Project Leader, La Réunion National Park