Seabird Colony

Over 300,000 seabirds breed on this tiny island — fairy terns balance single eggs on bare branches, shearwaters burrow underfoot

The seabird densities on Cousin Island are extraordinary by any measure. Over 300,000 birds breed here on 27 hectares. Wedge-tailed shearwaters burrow in tunnels underfoot — visitors learn quickly to watch where they step. Fairy terns nest in the open on branches, their single white eggs balanced on bare bark without any nesting material. Brown noddies pack the pisonia trees so densely that the branches are white with birds. White-tailed tropicbirds nest in rock crevices along the coast.

The island is also an important site for rarer species. The Seychelles fody and Seychelles turtle dove breed here. The Seychelles brush warbler — once reduced to around 30 individuals on this island alone — has recovered significantly through conservation work and translocation to other islands. It remains one of the conservation success stories of the Indian Ocean.

things to do sight wildlife
A story
Fairy terns lay a single egg directly on a bare tree branch, with no nest at all. The egg — and later the chick — balances on the branch through tropical storms and winds. Scientists still debate exactly how the chick manages not to fall off. On Cousin, you can watch this from a few metres away.