After almost 200 years, a lost bird returns to the Galápagos

A species thought to have disappeared from Floreana Island has been spotted again after nearly two centuries. The Galápagos Rail — also known as burrito, polluela, or pachay — is a shy bird, barely able to fly, first recorded by Charles Darwin in 1835.

For decades, it was considered extinct on the island. But after removing invasive rats and cats — species that devastated local wildlife — the bird has reappeared.

This discovery is more than surprising; it proves something crucial: when human pressures are reduced and ecosystems are restored, biodiversity responds.

“Now it’s common to see them walking around the island. You can hear them, you can see them… it’s incredible,” says Paola Sangolquí, biologist at the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation.

More than a biological miracle, it’s an environmental lesson: restoration works, but it requires commitment and persistence.