A snapshot of 2024: A Year for Birds

From the Inner Islands of Aride and Silhouette to the newly opened Conservation Center on Ile Plate, the thriving and bursting conservation efforts on Alphonse, and the exciting discoveries of the new team on Desroches and Farquhar Atoll, in 2024 the Island Conservation Society (ICS) continued to provide remarkable data on the biodiversity and conservation of species of the Seychelles. Many new species were first recorded in 2024 which shows that there is much we do not know about our ecosystem, especially on the Outer Islands. One notable exciting part of the conservation work of ICS in 2024 was through bird monitoring where an incredible array of feathered visitors was spotted. Whether first-time sightings or annual travellers, the presence of our Avian visitors added to the wonder of our natural landscape. Here are some of the highlights from 2024:

(Photo of a Gold morph White-tailed tropicbird on Alphonse by Kaeleah Andrew & Jack Coupland) ​

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Cheers to Chick

After settling down on Île Plate, the new conservation team of ICS was eager to record the migratory birds on the island, particularly as the Southeast monsoon began. They were not let down, as the island's hidden treasures began to reveal themselves within weeks with the first ‘avian’ jackpot - a Red-tailed tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda), and one which loved the island so much that it did not take long to lay an egg. This pure white, heavy-bodied tropicbird, with a large red bill and a thin red tail proudly displayed on ICS’ logo, is common in the Aldabra Group of Islands. It is known to turn up in small numbers on Aride, but this was the first sighting for Île Plate, located 130 kilometers south of Mahe. The chick, aptly named Platel, would spend at least 90 days before it will fly away in mid-January. Hopefully, it will return to the island to lay its eggs someday.
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(Photo of a Red-tailed tropicbird on Île Plate by Diary Mbolamahefa Rakotondrazara) ​

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(Photo of a Blue-cheeked bee-eater on Desroches Island by Elisabeth Hein and James Wareing) 
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Christmas-wrapped duck

At the end of the year, the Aride team joined the feathered party when they spotted a female Gadwall (Mareca strepera) in the marsh. It was the first record of this type of duck for Aride and only the third record for Seychelles. The first two records for Seychelles were also in December 2024. Incidentally, another Gadwall was spotted on the same day on Coetivy. Another interesting bird sighted in 2024 on Aride was the annual visitor to Seychelles - a White wagtail, which was seen feeding on the beach crest and around the village.

Striking gold

You must have heard of the species White-tailed tropicbird. But did you know that there is another morph of the White-tailed tropic bird that has a gold tail? Although it had been spotted before in Seychelles, in 2024 a Gold-tailed tropicbird morph was first spotted on Alphonse. Through DNA samples, the team hopes to confirm if this bird with its glittering yellow long tail could have originated from Christmas Island in Australia or is a rare golden morph of the Indian Ocean. A second most interesting sighting was that of a Banded martin. The large brown-and-white swallow with a band across the chest and a pale mark above the eye was the first record for the Western Indian Ocean. The Alphonse Group of islands was the chosen holiday destination for various other avian visitors, including the Great spotted cuckoo, a Eurasian golden oriole, a Black kite, a Little stint and a Greater short-toed lark; all deserving of a first sighting and, whenever possible, a photograph to document their presence.

Roll over in Feathers

​Another regular annual visitor which is always exciting to see was the Broad-billed roller (Eurystomus glaucurus) which was potted on Ile Du Nord, on Farquhar Atoll. The distinctive pale blue under tail-coverts indicated that this bird had come from Madagascar and not continental Africa where it is also found. For a few months, the team of young Seychellois conservationists could observe this visual spectacle with its bright yellow bill against a shade of lilac and brown plumage. 

(Photo of a Broad-billed roller on Farquhar Atoll by Priya Didon & Liam Padayachy) 
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100th with blue cheeks

By the end of 2024, Desroches Island had recorded its 100 different bird species. The bird watching was hyped up with new equipment and the list of birds exuded feathered beauty from the Red-billed tropicbird (also known as “Payanke labek rouz”), the Eleonora’s falcon, a flock of Glossy ibis, a Sand martin and a Common redstart. The team also went “cuckoo” over a series of sightings of Cuckoo species in late December which included the Common cuckoo, the Lesser cuckoo and Jacobin cuckoo. The peeping sound of a ‘mystery moorhen’ and its long dangling legs as it flew kept the team on their toes but to this day, it has never been truly identified. Could it have been a new species for the island? We will never know. Ultimately, the chosen favourite bird spotted last year on Desroches was the Blue-cheeked bee-eater (Merops persicus) with its stunning colours. It captured our attention and was the envy of bird enthusiasts worldwide. 

(Photo of a Gadwall on Aride Island by Anthony Bentley) ​

​2024 was a year for birds due to the sheer volume of sightings across Seychelles. These birds often migrate from Europe and Central Asia to Africa, with some stopping on the islands to rest or sometimes they are blown off course. Each observation contributes to a growing archive for Seychelles which is maintained by the Seychelles Bird Records Committee (SBRC). This long-term data helps to build our understanding of the migratory patterns and supports conservation efforts for these species, many of which face threats worldwide.