Seychelles is recognised as an Important Bird Area (IBA), and contains two Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs), the Aldabra Atoll and the Granitic Islands.
It has birds that can only be found here.
Birds that arrived here a long time ago are now different from their nearest known relatives in continental Africa, Asia, or other island groups. Change has taken place through the process of evolution. Species that are found in Seychelles, and nowhere else in the world, are called endemic species. The central Seychelles islands have 13 surviving endemic land birds (at least two more are extinct); the Seychelles endemics all have ‘Seychelles’ in their English names. Most of the endemic land birds evolved to live in the dense native forest that clothed the islands before humans came when there were few predators. Many (though not all) suffered when people arrived, cleared native vegetation, and introduced new predatory species like rats and cats.
Nature Seychelles has been involved in research and conservation on 6 of the endemic birds in the Granitic Islands, namely Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles White-eye, Seychelles Fody, Seychelles Warbler, Seychelles scops owl, and Seychelles Kestrel.
