The record
Written from the 1 report below. Nothing here is unsourced.
- Invasive brown rats were removed from the Isles of Scilly islands of St Agnes and Gugh in an eradication project that began in November 2013.
- The rats had arrived after shipwrecks in the 18th century and threatened burrow-nesting birds such as Manx shearwaters and European storm petrels.
- Manx shearwater breeding sites rose from 22 before the project to a record 225 in 2025 monitoring data.
- Manx shearwaters and European storm petrels successfully bred on the islands for the first time in living memory after the rats were removed.
- The success has prompted conservation groups to plan a similar rat eradication across St Martin's, Tresco, Bryher and about 21 nearby uninhabited islands.
What to watch next
- Progress on the planned rat eradication project for St Martin's, Tresco, Bryher and nearby uninhabited islands.
- Whether St Agnes and Gugh remain rat-free under ongoing monitoring and biosecurity checks.
- Trends in kittiwake and lesser black-backed gull numbers, and the recorded cat predation of storm petrels.
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Named United Kingdom · European storm petrel · Gugh · Manx shearwater · St Agnes · Isles of Scilly Seabird Recovery Project · Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust · Wildlife Management International Ltd
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