The Mauritius Kestrel is a bird of prey endemic to the forests of Mauritius and was once regarded the rarest bird in the world. In the 1970's there were only 4 known individuals left with one breeding female found only in the Lower Black River Gorges. Now due to intensive conservation and management efforts the population has risen between 800-1000 birds and downgraded from Critically endangered to Endangered in 1994 and then to Vulnerable in 2000 by the IUCN.
They used to range from sea level to the highest upland forests but due to deforestation and degradation for lumber and agricultural purposes in 1900 they were restricted to 3 mountain ranges; Moka, Bambous and Lower Black River Gorges. Later on in the 1950-60's large amounts of DDT was used to control malaria and predation by invasive species (cats, rats, mongooses) reduced the kestrel population even further to only 20-25 and then only 4 in 1974.
Female watching us as we do a nest access
Male with recently caught gecko
Mauritius Kestrel Chick
Mauritius Kestrel Chick
Conservation biologists
(Saoirse Morgan and Paul Tinsley-Marshall) ringing a chick
(Saoirse Morgan and Paul Tinsley-Marshall) ringing a chick
Conservation biologist (Saoirse Morgan) ringing a chick
Conservation Biologist (Paul Tinsley-Marshall) taking a blood sample for genetic analysis
Conservation Biologist (Edward Winfield) performing morphometrics
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