India, Oct. 16 -- Some species get a second chance. The cahow is one of them. This seabird was thought extinct for over 300 years. It now has 165 established breeding pairs, according to Jeremy Madeiros, Bermuda's chief terrestrial conservation officer, writing on the Nonsuch Expeditions site. In 2025, 78 chicks successfully fledged, the second-highest total on record, behind only the 79 chicks of 2021.

The cahow, or Bermuda petrel, breeds exclusively in Bermuda. Long ago, it was found across the islands. Then the settlers arrived. Madeiros wrote that settlers introduced hogs, cats, and dogs, while rats arrived by accident. Together, these animals quickly decimated the bird, and by the 1620s the cahow was considered extinct.

Hunting was...