Freed from the threat of invasive predators, Galapagos birds are performing astonishing feats of return and innovation – 200 years after Charles Darwin visited the archipelago.
For almost 200 years, the Galapagos rail had been missing from Floreana.
Thought to be extinct on this small, inhabited island in the Galapagos archipelago, the shy, near-flightless bird is still found on some of the other islands.
But Charles Darwin was the last person to record a sighting of one on Floreana, when he famously visited the island in 1835.
This year, after the removal of rats and feral cats from Floreana, the bird stunned conservationists by making a surprise re-appearance on the island.
The change reveals new insights into how a safer, almost predator-free environment can allow animals to experiment and innovate, scientists say.
"[The rails] reappeared and now it's very common to find these birds just walking around the island. »
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