There is one clear reason Zino’ s petrels are so rare and it is human beings. There are steep, rocky slopes everywhere on the island and, before humans arrived, there would have been few natural predators. There are no native land mammals and the petrels avoid predation by gulls by not flying inland in daylight. It is not hard to imagine seabirds nesting all over these mountains in the past, and ancient Zino’ s remains have been found in eastern Madeira and on nearby Porto Santo, far from their current restricted breeding range. But as people brought rats, cats and more people to cultivate the land, they have taken the bird to the brink of extinction. The negative impact of humans on Madeira’ s wildlife was also apparent with my other Wind Birds excursions taken a few days after the Zino’ s tour: I had half a day birdwatching as there is no longer sufficient native habitat for them to offer a full-day trip; and the whale watching is now best treated as seabird watching, as there are not enough fish in the sea to give reliable sightings of cetaceans.
ABOVE Zino’ s petrel in flight, © Peter Flood BELOW The Zino’ s petrel breeding site, © Hugo Romano
Lazarus, of course, rose again, and there is hope for this Lazarus species. In 2004, the Zino’ s petrel was downgraded from Critically Endangered to Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The population, whilst clearly low, is currently stable and appears to be increasing slightly. Conservationists are to thank for this, as they seek to eradicate rats, provide artificial burrows and sow seeds for native vegetation to protect the nesting sites. In a world in which wildlife often seems to be descending into oblivion, the Zino’ s cry is not going unnoticed.
Autumn Spring 2025 OUTDOOR FOCUS 9