Ascension Avifauna

Instructions

Ascension is a non-permanent human-inhabited island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Because it is so far from the mainland, only birds and invertebrates actually claimed the terrestrial niches. Upon settlement, a few centuries ago, cats and rats were introduced, exterminating the flightless avifauna. Historically, there were two functionally flightless bird species on Ascension island. The popular one was the Ascension rail, which was a descendant of mainland crakes. It was an opportunistic omnivore that consumed available eggs, invertebrates, and seeds found in the ecosystem. The other bird was the Ascension night heron, a descendant of mainland black-crowned night herons. It had also evolved to prey on eggs and invertebrates, but included carrion, hatchlings, + marine life, as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cat-Free: A few decades ago, Asciension Island had announced that they successfully cleared cats from the ecosystem, which allowed various seabirds to recolonize. However, invasive rodents currently take a toll on eggs and hatchlings, in the environment. Once invasive mammals, as a whole, are eradicated, Ascension could be considered a predator-free habitat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rewilding: While the grounded, original birds have been lost, their ancestors are still globally distributed on continents and can be reintroduced or restored to compensate/substitute extinct species' functions + niches, once the invasive mammals are removed. Either that, or they could be eligible for de-extinction and selective breeding. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ○ Birds: • Ascension Crake • Ascension Night Heron