Cousin Island Reserve

Source www.cousinisland.net

Cousin Island and the surrounding marine area were turned into a nature reserve when the island was purchased in 1968 by BirdLife International for the protection of the last tiny population of a nearly extinct endemic bird species the Seychelles reed warbler (Acrocephalus seychellensis).

The full island including the surrounding 400 meters of ocean was declared a "special reserve" by the Seychelles government in 1975. Since 1998, the island has been managed by Nature Seychelles.

The island is open to visitors Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to noon and is closed on weekends and holidays.

Forest Birds

The island is home to five endemic Seychelles forest bird species. These include the Seychelles crimson magpie Copsychus seychellarum, the Seychelles sunbird Nectarinia dussumieri, the Seychelles foddy Foudia seychellarum, the Seychelles blue pigeon Alectroenas pulcherrima and the Seychelles rush Acrollecensphalus sechellus.

Seychelles magpie-robin / Pi santez / Copsychus sechellarum

This charismatic bird inhabits on Cousin and four other islands. It feeds mainly on small soil invertebrates, mostly cockroaches, but also on fruit, fish thrown by tree-nesting terns, vertebrate animals, including skinks and geckos, eggs, and human food remains.

Seychelles warbler / Timerl dezil / Acrocephalus sechellensis

Thanks to cooperative conservation efforts and scientific research, this songbird has flourished on five islands. There are more than 320 birds on Cousin Island. The total global bird population is 3,000. Like other songbirds, these birds feed on insects. The adult chicks often stay with their parents to help raise their offspring.

Seychelles sunbird / Kolibri / Cinnyris dussumieri

This noisy bird is found in most of the Seychelles. It feeds on nectar and insects. The male has an iridescent throat, and upon close observation, you may notice that orange-yellow tufts can be seen under the wings, which show up during courtship or when defending their territory. They build a graceful hanging nest of grasses, casuarina needles, and other fibers.

Seychelles fody / Tok-tok /  Foudia sechellarum

This cheeky, sparrow-like bird is found only on islands where there are no tree-climbing rats. There are about 500-600 pairs living on Cousin. They feed on insects, fruit, and seeds, and will also dine on unprotected seabird eggs if they get a chance. The males have a yellow spot on their forehead and throat.

СSeychelles blue pigeon / Pizon olande / Alectroenas pulcherrima

Several pairs of this lovely bird have been recorded nesting on the island. They feed on the fruits of the Banyan, Takamaka, Vouloutye and others. It is usually seen high up in the trees. They are really beautiful birds and in good light, their plumage with three different colours is clearly visible.

Barred ground dove / Tortrel koko / Geopelia striata

Also called the Zebra dove. As with many other common birds in Seychelles, this one is not endemic, but a native of Malaysia, probably introduced to Seychelles via Mauritius. Found mainly on the beach crest, they feed on fallen seeds of grasses, Casuarina trees, and other plants.

Malagasy turtle dove / Tourtrel dezil / Stretopelia picturata

Seychelles endemic sub-species of turtle dove was lost to hybridization with this variety from Madagascar. Some individuals on Cousin bear resemblance to the original Seychelles race. They feed mainly on seeds and fruits.

Moorhen / Pouldo / Gallinula chloropus

Despite their seemingly awkward flight, Moorhens have managed to colonise a large number of islands throughout the world. There is a resident population on Cousin, members of which can best be seen near the swamp but also throughout the plateau, in search of insects, fruits and small lizards.

Seabirds

Cousin is known as a haven for nesting seabirds in particular the White tern, Whitetailed tropicbird, Brown and Lesser noddys, Bridled terns, Tropical shearwaters and Wedgetailed shearwaters. Throughout the year, visitors to Cousin are treated to the sight of nesting seabirds. Some birds are year-round breeders, others have particular breeding seasons. Any season, be prepared for the sights, sounds and smells of seabird breeding, and even for the occasional dropping! (some say it’s good luck!)

White tern / Golan / Gygis alba

Once common throughout the granitic islands, White terns now prefer to breed on islands free from rats, cats and Barn owls, such as Cousin, where about 4,000 pairs nest on the island each year. All year round, pairs can be seen incubating eggs balanced precariously on the branches of the trees throughout the plateau. Rather than feeding their chicks on regurgitated fish like most other seabirds, White tern parents provide their young with fresh, whole fish, caught in the waters around Cousin.

White-tailed tropicbird / Payanke /  Phaethon lepturus

This spectacular seabird is found throughout the tropical waters of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. They fly far out to sea and dive for their food of flying fish or squid. They are common on rat-free islands like Cousin, Cousine, and Aride. White-tailed tropicbirds breed year-round, each pair nesting in a tree hole or sheltered side on the ground. The chicks get quite fat, not fledging until they are 70-80 days old, and do not grow the long white tail until they are a year old. About 3,000 pairs breed on Cousin each year.

Lesser noddy / Kelek / Anous tenuirostris

Nesting exclusively in the Indian Ocean, it’s estimated that about 80,000 pairs of Lesser noddies breed on Cousin Island during the South-East monsoon season (June-August), making Cousin one of the largest breeding sites in the world. Lesser noddies build their untidy nests of leaves, seaweed and guano in the branches of trees along the coast and throughout the plateau. Noddies feed on schools of small surface-feeding fish.

Brown or Common noddy / Makwa / Anous stolidus

Larger and browner in colour than the Lesser noddy, they are also fewer in numbers with about 1,300 pairs breeding each year on Cousin during the South-East monsoon season (May-August). Brown noddies nest among the rocks as well as in Coconut and Pandanus trees. This is probably the only native species that has actually declined since the coconut plantation has been replaced by native vegetation: a result of fewer Coconut trees for nesting.

Bridled tern / Fansen / Onychoprion anaethetus

About 600 pairs of Bridled terns breed on Cousin each year. They nest among the rocks and vegetation along the coast up the hill. They have a peculiar 8 month breeding cycle. Bridled terns feed on very small fish or pieces of floating food, dipping and picking at food near the surface of the sea, often quite close to the shore.

Tropical shearwater / Riga /  Puffinus Iherminieri

Smaller and less common than the Wedge-tailed shearwater, this species can be easily identified by it’s small size and white throat and belly. As their name implies, these birds glide close to the ocean surface, skimming the waves. This species breeds year-round among the rocks on the hill. This species feeds on fish and squid, usually near to the surface but is capable of diving to a depth of 35m.

Wedge-tailed shearwater / Fouke /  Ardenna pacifica

These birds are grey-brown in colour and breed from October to March in burrows among the rocks and trees on the hill, and feed on fish and squid. A census of the 1999 breeding population indicated that about 15,000 pairs nest on Cousin. Research undertaken on Cousin found that the Wedge-tailed shearwater is capable of diving to a staggering depth of 66m! The fat chicks once exploited for human consumption are now protected.

Greater frigatebird / Gran fregat / Fregata minor

You can’t miss this huge bird if you see it – it is the largest bird in Seychelles and has long angular wings, and a long thin forked tail. The adult male has a bright red throat patch that it inflates during courtship rituals, and the females and young have a white chest. In Seychelles, Frigatebirds only breed on Aldabra atoll, but they can be seen around Cousin Island in the non-breeding season from November to May searching for feeding sites.

SHOREBIRDS

Many shorebird species are migratory, visiting Seychelles and other countries in the region during the northern hemisphere winter when food supplies are more plentiful here, and then returning north in the spring to breed. Listed here are the regular migrants, many other species can occasionally be spotted on Cousin on their way through Seychelles.

Ruddy Turnstone/ Bezros / Arenaria interpres

Turnstones breed in the Arctic in the northern hemisphere summer, but migrate to southern coasts all over the world during the rest of the year. On Cousin, they can be found year-round on the beaches as well as throughout the plateau, feeding on small invertebrates like worms, crabs and insects.

Whimbrel / Korbizo /Numenius phaeopus

Like the Turnstones, Whimbrels breed in the Siberian Arctic and spend the rest of the year in warmer climates like Seychelles. Easily identified by their long, slightly downward curved beaks, these birds use their beaks to find worms 7-8cm down in the sand or mud at low tide. At high tide, they feed on Ghost crabs further up the beach.

Crab plover / Kavalye / Dromas ardeola

An occasional visitor to the shores of Cousin, this attractive black and white shorebird likes to eat crabs, a feat for which it’s strong black bill is well adapted. During the northern hemisphere summer, Crab plovers return to the Red Sea, where they breed on sandy islands or near coral reefs. Nesting pairs actually dig a long tunnel of at least one metre underground, at the end of which they lay their egg – an amazing feat for such seemingly delicate birds!

Sanderling / Bekaso blan / Calidris alba

A northern hemisphere winter visitor to Seychelles, the Sanderling is a tiny shorebird with a dark beak and dark legs. Small groups of them can often be seen on Cousin, scurrying up and down the beach to avoid being swamped by waves as they probe the sand for worms and small crustaceans.

Lizards

Ubiquitous in Seychelles, skinks are found in large numbers on the island. The slimmer species is the Seychelles skink, while the bigger one is the Wright’s skink. Both are endemic to Seychelles. Cousin is also home to the Burrowing skink a small elongate skink with reduced limbs. As well as skinks there are endemic geckos – the bronze eyed gecko and green gecko.

Seychelles skink / Lezar mangouya / Trachylepis seychellensis

This lizard is common throughout Seychelles and especially so on Cousin, which is said to have one of the highest lizard densities in the world! These cheeky skinks are active during the day, feeding on seabird eggs, invertebrates and fallen fruits.

Wright’s skink / Teng teng / Trachylepis wrightii

Larger than the Seychelles skink, this skink is also active by day and feeds on seabird eggs, invertebrates and fallen fruits. This species is only found on a few islands such as Cousin, Cousine, Frégate and Aride, associated with large seabird colonies.

Bronze eyed gecko / Ailuronyx seychellensis

This large nocturnal gecko is found both in the buildings on Cousin and on trees in the forest, where it eats insects and fruits. It is endemic to Seychelles

Green gecko / Lezar ver / Phelsuma astriata

Smaller than the Bronze gecko, this brilliantly coloured lizard is active during the day. An agile climber, they are shy and found in the forest floor rather than houses. They feed mainly on insects.

Burrowing skink / Lezar later /  Pamelaescincus gardineri

As it’s name implies, this secretive lizard spends most of it’s time burrowing in the soil and leaf litter hunting for small invertebrates.

Turtles

Upon arriving on Cousin, visitors are often greeted by the ancients of the island, the Aldabra giant tortoise that hang around by the beach and inland in the forest. In the freshwater area of the forest, the shy terrapin might come to take a peek at passersby. And the very lucky visitor will encounter hawkbsill turtles nesting on the beach during the turtle season.

Aldabra Giant tortoise / Torti-d-ter / Geochelone gigantea

Several Aldabra giant tortoises can be found roaming about the plateau, feeding on leaves and fallen fruits. These large herbivores belong to the Aldabra species, which were introduced to the granitic islands after overexploitation led to the extinction of the resident species.

Hawksbill turtle / Kare /  Eretmochelys imbricata

During turtle season, the females can be seen nesting in broad daylight, laying their eggs in holes dug in the sand under the beach vegetation from October to January, with the young emerging approximately eight weeks later. Once exploited for their beautiful shell, these graceful creatures are now protected in Seychelles.

Freshwater terrapin / Torti soupap

There are two types of terrapins (or mud turtles) on Cousin – Black mud turtle and Yellow bellied mud turtle. These elusive turtles live in the swamp at the base of the hill, feeding on plants, water insects and other prey. They are shy and only seen occasionally when heavy rains fill the marsh and wash them out onto the path.

Green Turtle / Torti-d-mer / Chelonia mydas

Olive brown in colour this turtle derives its name from the colour of its fat. Each year a few nest on the granitics island including Cousin, the main site of breeding is on Aldabra and southern islands. Nesting occurs year round with two peaks January-April and July September.

Invertebrates

The first habitat on Cousin encountered by visitors is the seashore, a great stretch of open-wide beach broken here and there by rocky outcrops. The sandy beaches are home to Ghost crabs, Molluscs, and sandworms. You will find the Hermit crab, throughout the plateau in search of decaying matter to eat, their legs and antennae protruding from a seashell. Endemic giant millipedes (up to 30cm long) can often be found under leaf litter or rotting coconut husks.

Ghost crab / Loulou grangalo / Ocypode ceratophthalmus & Ocypode cordimanus

There are two species of these pale-coloured crabs on the island. One with rather pointy eyes, the other with more rounded eyes. Both species can also be found on most other islands in Seychelles. On Cousin, they can be found on the beach and throughout the plateau, feeding on decaying matter. They burrow tunnels in the beaches, and at night, the males produce a grasshopper-like sound by vibrating their front claws.

Hermit crab / Solda / Coenobita rugosus  &  C.brevimanus

These terrestrial crabs can be seen roaming throughout the plateau in search of decaying matter to eat, their legs and antennae protruding from a seashell. When disturbed, they quickly tuck themselves into the shell, as did the shell’s original inhabitant mollusc. As the crabs grow they find bigger shells to live in – one reason why we ask visitors not to collect any seashells from the island.

Light foot crab / Karkasay / Grapsus tenuicrustatus

You might see these light-foot crabs  jumping between rocks on Cousin Island, but they just as quickly leap out of sight when approached. They prefer to live among rocks where they can easily hide. Their flattened bodies and legs are well adapted to gripping the rocks even when they are being pummeled by waves.

Giant millipede / Milpat / Sechelleptus seychellarum

Endemic giant millipedes (up to 30cm long) can often be found under leaf litter or rotting coconut husks. They may look ferocious but are actually harmless, feeding on leaf litter and fallen fruits. Like other millipedes, they secrete a defensive chemical to protect themselves from predators.

Vegetation

Vegetation in all habitats on Cousin has been left to regenerate naturally, although on the plateau the once dominating coconut trees have been gradually removed to make space for native woodland species. The changes in the vegetation of the different habitats is monitored to assess the impact of this transformation on the animals are dependent on them.

Beach morning glory / Patatran / Ipomoea pes-caprae

This hardy ground creeper is common on the beach fringes throughout the Indian Ocean islands. It’s lovely large pink flowers typical of the morning glory family are offset nicely by the vivid green succulent waxy leaves. Well adapted against the rigours of salt spray, wind and occasional soaking by a high tide wave, this creeper plays an important role in the protection of the dune against coastal erosion.

Pisonia / Pisonia grandis

Generally uncommon on most islands in Seychelles, the Pisonia is common on Cousin as on other seabird islands. The sticky seeds are dispersed by clinging to the birds’ feathers, an adaptation which leads to some bird fatalities. The leaves host a variety of insects eaten by the Seychelles warbler, and are used by Lesser noddies as nesting material.

Coconut / Koko / Cocos nicifera

Under natural conditions, coconut trees are normally found fringing the coast, where the nuts are dispersed by the sea. Coconut trees are popular nesting sites of the Brown noddy during the South-East monsoon season. Coconut trees planted on Cousin’s plateau have gradually been replaced by native inland species.

Casuarina / Pye sed / Casuarina equisetifolia

These graceful, wispy trees fringing the coast provide valuable food and nesting sites for a number of bird species, as well as form a barrier to shelter inland species from slat spray and wind. They are believed to be a native species. They are favourite roosting sites for Bridled terns and small numbers of Frigatebirds.

Noni / Indian Mulberry / Bwa torti / Morinda citrifolia

Believed to be a native species, Indian mulberry trees are common throughout the plateau. Tortoises commonly feed on the soft, smelly fruits, which many claim smell like an over-ripe cheese! The flowers provide nectar for Sunbirds and Fodies.

Ochrosia / Fruit bat tree / Bwa sousouri / Ochrosia oppositifolia

Found in dense forest, these trees produce smooth mango-shaped fruits that are often consumed by visiting fruit bats from Praslin. The dried fibrous seeds can be seen in many places strewn along the forest floor.

Banyan / Lafous / Ficus reflexa

These large trees belonging to the fig family are easily identified by the masses of aerial roots hanging from the branches to the forest floor. There are three native species present on Cousin, and their fruits are an important food source for resident birds such as the Malagasy turtle dove and the Seychelles blue pigeon, as well as for visiting fruit bats.

Mangrove / Mangliye / Avicennia marina

There are two mangrove species on the island but this one is more common and dominates the small mangrove swamp located at Anse Frégate. Besides providing a habitat for a number of animals and other plants, mangroves play an important ecological role filtering river water thereby removing soil sediment and pollutants before they reach the sea. They also provide a sheltered nursing ground for the young of a number of coral reef animals.

CONTACT

Address: Nature Seychelles, Centre for Environment & Education, P.O Box 1310, Mahe, Seychelles
Tel: +248 2519090
Email: nature@seychelles.net
Web: www.natureseychelles.org