Birds and turtles on Aldabra
Neighbouring Mauritius made the region famous for its flightless birds through the Dodo Raphus cucullatus and on Aldabra the most famous landbird is the White-throated Flightless Rail Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus. Commonly known in Seychelles by its Kreol name, Tyomityo, this is the last remaining flightless bird in the Indian Ocean. These attractive ground nesting birds are curious and their behaviour has made them popular with the Research Station staff.
The rail had become restricted to only Malabar and Polymnie of the four main islands that make up the atoll. A recent translocation project saw nine male and nine female rails transferred to Picard Island where they formerly occurred. While first signs are good it will not be sure whether the re-introduction is successful until breeding is observed. The greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber has been sighted in flocks of up to five hundred birds on Aldabra. It is typically restricted to an area of southeast Grande Terre known as Bassin Flamant. In July 2000 a flamingo was seen at the west of the atoll for the first time, on Settlement Beach at the Research Station. Aldabra is the only coral atoll where the flamingo breeds and the Galapagos is the only other oceanic breeding site.
Breeding of the second largest frigate bird colony in the world is concentrated to the eastern end of Malabar Island. The Red- and White-tailed Tropic Birds Phaethon rubricauda and P. lepturus breed year round on the ground upon small rat-free limestone islets within what is the world's largest lagoon.
Two species of turtle nest on Aldabra: the hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata and the green turtle Chelonia mydas. A third species occurs there but has never been known to nest (the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta) and a fourth occurs in the deep waters around Aldabra (the leatherback turtle Kermochelys coriacea). One of the world's most important turtle nesting and foraging grounds, Aldabra is also one of the few places where breeding numbers have increased in recent years. Major and healthy turtle populations on Aldabra would appear to be returning to a natural state after two centuries of slaughter for tortoiseshell (hawksbills) and calipee (greens) for turtle soup.
