For centuries the Bermuda petrel survived only as a memory. Sailors and islanders knew that this bird once filled the skies around Bermuda, but until the modern era it was thought to be gone forever. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, some unexpected discoveries changed the story. A small colony was found hidden on remote rocky islands, suggesting that the species had not completely disappeared. What happened next was one of the longest and most unusual bird recovery efforts in the world, shaped by the young naturalist David Wingate, who devoted much of his life to giving the caho a chance at survival.
How a 1951 discovery saved the Bermuda petrel from extinction
The Bermuda petrel, known locally as the kaho, disappeared after the arrival of European settlers on the islands. The seabird once nested off Bermuda, but its ground-nesting habit made it extremely vulnerable. Humans hunted the birds, while animals introduced to the islands, including rats, pigs, cats and dogs, attacked the eggs and chicks.As research by Bird Conservation International published by Cambridge University Press, titled ‘Establishment of a new, secure colony of the endangered Bermuda petrel Pterodroma caho by transfer of near-grown chicks’, shows that by the 1600s, the caho had disappeared. For more than 300 years, it existed mainly through old records and stories. Its name was linked to Bermuda’s past rather than its surviving wildlife.This changed in the early 20th century when many dead caho were found. The discoveries revealed that this species may have survived somewhere beyond sight. Reportedly, in 1951, a team of biologists began searching the remote islands of Bermuda for evidence of living birds. Among those invited to join the expedition was 15-year-old David Wingate, a schoolboy already recognized for his knowledge of local birds.The search was successful. A surviving population of caho was found breeding on isolated rocky islands. For Wingate, the discovery became the beginning of a lifelong effort to prevent the bird from disappearing a second time.
Conservation challenges lie behind saving the slow-breeding Bermuda petrel
When Wingate began working with the Bermuda petrel, wildlife conservation was still a developing field. There were few established methods for restoring a species that had been reduced to such a low population. Everything he did came through observation, experimentation and years of practical work.As reported by the American non-profit environmental organization (Audubon), after studying at Cornell University, Wingate returned to Bermuda and began to focus on the survival of the caho. The challenges were immediate. The birds nested in small burrows on open islands, where they were vulnerable to storm damage and where competition for nesting sites was intense.Kahos are slow breeders. They lay only one egg each year and do not begin to reproduce until several years of age. Losing even a small number of chicks can have a major impact on the future of a population.Wingate worked closely with the birds during the nesting season. The caho is a nocturnal seabird, leaving its nesting sites after dark to begin its first flight over the ocean. Some young birds struggled during these early efforts. In one case, Wingate rescued a chick that had fallen off a cliff and arranged for a safe artificial nest so that it could try again.Such small interventions became part of a broader recovery strategy.
Protecting nests from unexpected enemies
Kaho’s decline was not caused by a single threat. The introduced species had transformed the islands of Bermuda. Rats were among the most damaging predators, attacking eggs and young birds. Other native and introduced birds also competed for the same limited nesting space.White-tailed tropic birds were particularly problematic because they used similar bills. When they took over a suitable nesting site, caho eggs or chicks could be destroyed.Finding a solution required years of trial and error. Conservation workers eventually developed simple barriers around burrow entrances, allowing cahows to enter while keeping out competing birds. Artificial nesting burrows were also created to increase the number of safe sites available for breeding pairs.These changes gradually improved the birds’ prospects. Recovery was slow, but the population started moving in the right direction.
How restoring Nonsuch Island helped secure the future of the Bermuda Petrel
One of Wingate’s most ambitious projects involved restoring Nonsuch Island, a small piece of land that could provide a safe home for returning caho.The nonsuch was heavily modified by human activity and invasive plants. Wingate moved to the island with his family and began restoring its natural environment. This work included removing unwanted plant species, planting thousands of native trees, creating suitable habitat, and reintroducing other wildlife that had become extinct. The goal was not just to protect the existing birds but to recreate an ecosystem where the caho could expand.After years of restoration, the nonsuch became part of the species’ recovery plan. Kaho were moved there from their vulnerable nesting sites, and the birds successfully established breeding sites. Reportedly, as of 2012, dozens of chicks were being produced there during the nesting season.Nonsuch’s transformation showed that saving a species sometimes requires rebuilding the landscape around it, not just protecting the animals.
Slow improvement with new challenges ahead
By the early 2000s, the Bermuda petrel population had grown from the small group discovered in 1951. From only a few dozen breeding pairs in the 1960s, the population has grown steadily over the following decades.Monitoring between 2000 and 2008 recorded approximately 29 to 40 young birds successfully leaving their nest each year. As reported in a study published at the University of Cambridge, by 2008 the number of breeding pairs had reached approximately 85.The recovery remains fragile. Birds are still dependent on small islands that are exposed to storms and rising seas. Damage caused by severe weather, along with coastal erosion associated with climate change, has become one of the major concerns for the future of the species. The same isolated nesting grounds that helped protect the kaho from human disturbance also make it vulnerable to environmental changes.
Kaiho’s legacy of return
The story of the Bermuda petrel is deeply linked to that of David Wingate, whose decades of work transformed a bird once thought to be extinct into a species with a thriving population. Their efforts included field observation, habitat restoration, and a desire to test unfamiliar approaches when few conservation models existed.The cahow is still rare, but it is no longer a bird remembered only from history books. Its existence is a reminder of how close some species can come to extinction and how long recovery can take after populations are pushed to the edge.