We report the non-breeding range of an adult Rapa Shearwater Puffinus myrtae, as estimated from data collected by one light logger deployed from 31 August 2019 to 22 July 2020. The Rapa Shearwater is classified as “Critically Endangered”, with a strong decline in breeding numbers reported recently. As the species is threatened by various introduced mammals on the breeding colonies, the main objective of this tracking essay was to identify the oceanic regions where the birds forage during the non-breeding season. The non-breeding range of this bird was located south-east of Rapa Island, where fishery activities are limited. The conservation efforts for the Critically Endangered Rapa Shearwater should first focus on securing mammal-free sites for breeding colonies.

Since 2004 there has been mounting evidence of the severe impact of introduced house mice (Mus musculus L.) killing chicks of burrow-nesting petrels at Gough Island. We monitored seven species of burrow-nesting petrels in 2014 using a combination of infra-red video cameras augmented by burrowscope nest inspections. All seven camera-monitored Atlantic petrel (Pterodroma incerta Schlegel) chicks were killed by mice within hours of hatching (average 7.2±4.0 hours) with an 87% chick failure rate (n=83 hatchlings). Several grey petrel (Procellaria cinerea Gmelin) chicks were found with mouse wounds and 60% of chicks failed (n=35 hatchlings). Video surveillance revealed one (of seven nests filmed) fatal attack on a great shearwater (Puffinus gravis O’Reilly) chick and two (of nine) on soft-plumaged petrel (Pterodroma mollis Gould) chicks. Mice killed the chicks of the recently discovered summer-breeding MacGillivray’s prion (Pachyptila macgillivrayi Mathews), with a chick mortality rate of 82% in 2013/14 and 100% in 2014/15. The closely-related broad-billed prion (P. vittata Forster) breeds in late winter and also had a chick mortality rate of 100% in 2014. The results provide further evidence of the dire situation for seabirds nesting on Gough Island and the urgent need for mouse eradication.

The endemic Mediterranean yelkouan shearwater Puffinus yelkouan, elevated to the rank of species in 2002, is poorly monitored and studied. Despite this lack of data and the susceptibility of closely related species to threats at breeding sites and foraging areas, the yelkouan shearwater is currently considered to be at low risk of extinction. This review, based on published documents, personal communications with scientists and our own observations, summarizes available data on range, population size and trends, and on threats to the species' existence. Breeding sites range from the Marseille islands (France) to Bulgarian islands in the Black Sea but many are not confirmed. The estimated global population is 11,355-54,524 pairs but most censuses are probably overestimates and the global population could be only a few thousand breeding pairs. There is evidence of a population decline and susceptibility to introduced mammals, particularly feral cats Felis catus and ship rats Rattus rattus, and to accidental bycatch in fishing gear. We highlight the lack of accurate and regular censuses of the species, and the alarming situation suggested by the little data available. We recommend that the yelkouan shearwater be categorized as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, encourage collaborative work to clarify its status, and make a plea for more data on the species’ demography and ecology, and for the evaluation of terrestrial and marine threats.

In Hawaii, where there are no native reptiles or amphibians, 27 species of reptiles and amphibians have established (Kraus 2003); however, few have been studied to determine their ecological impacts. For example, little is known about the impacts of the Puerto Rican frog, Eleutherodactylus coqui Thomas, that recently invaded (late 1980s) (Kraus et al. 1999), and has established on all four main Hawaiian Islands (Kraus & Campbell 2002). However, there are likely to be consequences because E. coqui can attain high densities (20 570 frogs ha−1 on average in Puerto Rico) and consume large quantities of invertebrates (114 000 prey items ha−1 per night on average in Puerto Rico) (Stewart & Woolbright 1996).

The Juan Fernandez Islands constitute two distantly separated (182 km) major islands, of which Isla Robinson Crusoe is the closest (667 km) to the Chilean mainland, and a number of smaller surrounding islets. The endemic Juan Fernandez firecrown Sephanoides fernandensis once inhabited both major islands and numbered many thousands. Today it exists only on Isla Robinson Crusoe and numbers just a few hundred. Another hummingbird, the green-backed firecrown S. sephaniodes, inhabits this island but also occurs on the mainland. The islands are in ecological meltdown as a result of the removal of much of the native (largely endemic) biota. This degradation has been exacerbated by introduced herbivorous and carnivorous mammals, which are extirpating all that remains. In a previous investigation the authors assessed the evolutionary relationships and genetic variation in the Juan Fernandez firecrown population. They showed that the species: (i) is a relative of the high Andean hummingbirds; (ii) is a close sister species of the green-backed firecrown; (iii) dispersed to the islands approximately 0.5–1 million years ago, unlike the green-backed firecrown, which is probably a very recent invader; (iv) maintains some genetic variation, although significantly lower than that found in the green-backed firecrown island population. Because of their relatively recent divergence the authors aimed to find out if the two species compete for resources. In addition, they assessed the conservation options for the Juan Fernandez firecrown and provided recommendations for its management. They concluded that the survival of the Juan Fernandez firecrown is inextricably linked to the holistic restoration of ecosystem/ community function of the island. The initial step must involve the removal of introduced mammals, followed by replanting of native flora. Although the authors do not support the use of captive propagation as a general conservation tool, they believe that, because the Juan Fernandez firecrown is composed of only one small population that is under extreme threat of extinction, a captive population should be established.