The Mystery of the Returning Rail
For two centuries, the Galápagos rail was considered locally extinct on Floreana, a victim of the "great plague" Darwin himself warned about: invasive rats and feral cats. While the species survived on other islands, it had vanished from Floreana’s ecosystem.
Following a massive decade-long restoration project to eradicate invasive predators, the rail didn't just return—it appeared as if by magic.
"It just showed up," says Paula Castaño, a wildlife veterinarian for Island Conservation. "The Galapagos rail was one that I was not expecting at all."
Whether a tiny population remained hidden in the highlands for 200 years or birds managed to migrate from other islands remains a mystery. What is certain is that they are now "walking around the island" in plain sight, a living link to the world Darwin saw in 1835.
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