Africa - Mauritius

The Republic of Mauritius was once home to perhaps the world's best known bird species, the Dodo, and is now home to some of the world's rarest species, the Mauritius Kestrel (at one stage the world's rarest bird) and the Mauritius Parakeet, another critically endangered species. It is no surprise that for a remote Indian Ocean island, Mauritius has relatively few bird species, however the island does boast one of the densest concentrations of endangered bird species in the world. Such charismatic and gravely endangered birds as Herald (Round Island) Petrel, Pink Pigeon and Mauritius Parakeet may still attract the energetic endemic-hunter. All seven endemic land bird species are threatened. Three other species are shared only with La Réunion. All these species are restricted range and belong to the Mauritius Endemic Bird Area (EBA) which covers the whole of the island.

Mauritius Bulbul, copyright Ross Gallardy