Cyclone Ilsa’s Devastating Impact on Bedout Island Birds

In a recent study, researchers revealed that Cyclone Ilsa caused the death of thousands of seabirds on Bedout Island, off Australia’s north-west coast. The cyclone, which hit in April last year with record-breaking wind gusts of up to 288 kph, decimated up to 90% of the island’s populations of masked booby, brown booby, and lesser frigatebird. The island, which is home to about 1% of the world’s lesser frigatebird population, is considered globally significant for bird conservation. The impact on the masked booby is particularly alarming, as a genetically unique subspecies, Sula dactylatra bedouti, is only found on Bedout Island. Researchers estimate it could take at least a decade for the bird populations to recover due to the high mortality of adult breeding birds, which typically lay only one egg per year. The increasing frequency and intensity of storms, exacerbated by climate change, pose a significant threat to the recovery of these and other species in the region.