Kahow: these birds are one of the reasons for the horrors around the Bermuda Triangle (10 photos)

Can just one bird species change the history of a huge archipelago? Just one peck! Have you heard about the "cursed" Bermuda Triangle? Well, it's all the kahow's doing! But how did birds become the cause of a whole bunch of conspiracy theories? Well, we'll tell you now!





Boo! Scared? Don't be afraid, I'm a friend! I won't hurt you!

In order not to fall under the spell of a bird, let's decide who's who. The Bermuda petrel, or cahow, looks extremely unremarkable: a gray back, a white belly - the classic outfit of waterfowl. When viewed from above, the birds merge with the dark depths of restless waters, and when viewed from below, they dissolve among the foam, sun and clouds. The bird's size is also not impressive: the wingspan is only 85 centimeters, the weight is only 300-500 grams. How could such a modest bird become the cause of legends and rumors?



Let's pretend that his camouflage worked, and we don't see anyone!

It all started with the Age of Great Geographical Discoveries. In 1503, Juan Bermudez discovered a new archipelago on his way to North America. But no one dared to move there permanently. Why? Because at night the waters around the islands seemed to come alive. The darkness was pierced by eerie, plaintive cries, as if all the sinners of this land had arranged a housing office meeting on the beach and were figuring out how much they would have to pay for painting their palm trees this year. The situation was made more tense by the fact that the currents around Bermuda are tricky - reefs and rocks are hidden under the rough waters. Well, imagine: it's nighttime, someone is screaming furiously, the sailors forgot in a panic that they needed to have a snack, and the ship naturally sank.





When you finally caught your neighbor screaming at night.

The islands began to grow over with a bunch of fables. But it's just about the birds! About the cahows, which lead a nocturnal lifestyle and cannot sing. Instead of nightingale trills, the typhoon birds communicate with their relatives with a drawn-out howl and pitiful groans, which in complete darkness sound like the cries of ghosts. And when there are thousands, millions of these birds, their voices turn into a chorus of screams.



Guys, I bet I can sink that ship with just one voice?

Time passed, the mystical nature of the islands was firmly entrenched in the memory of several generations. But the colonizers were not stopped by tales from the crypt. Paving the route from Europe to America, people began to use the archipelago as a transit station. Local birds were slaughtered for meat, their clutches were stolen. In just one night, the crew of several ships ate up to 4,000 carcasses! And after the sailors sailed away, their work was continued by pigs, rats, cats and dogs brought to the islands. Thanks to the combined efforts of invasive species, nothing remained of the colony of several million cahows. The Bermuda petrel itself became a ghost - in 1621, the species became extinct. At least, that's what they thought.



The cahows were lucky to fall under the "Lazarus effect". This is a phenomenon when an animal is considered extinct, but after a long time "resurrects".

And now, after more than 300 years, dead birds of an unknown species began to be found on the islands. A thorough study showed that this was the long-forgotten Bermuda petrel! After a long search, scientists found 18 surviving birds on the farthest island. They were immediately taken under protection, and the entire territory was made a nature reserve. Since then, ornithologists have been shaking over each individual.



When you are caught, but you still pose with your most photogenic side.

The birds grow and reproduce slowly: in one season, a pair lays only one egg, which will hatch with a probability of 50/50, regardless of the efforts of the parents. Therefore, scientists have provided for literally everything!



— Darling, if only you and Natasha from the neighboring nest remained of our species, would you continue the family line with her? — Sveta, please don't start! — I knew it, everything is clear with you!

Special concrete and plastic nesting holes are made for petrels to protect the brood from floods and other disasters. And the entrance to the holes is closed with special wooden shields with a precisely fitted hole in the middle. This way, only the cahow can crawl into the nest, and those who love scrambled eggs will drool outside. Also, rats are regularly poisoned on the islands and the presence of land predators is monitored.



Dust from under the closet subtly hints that it's time to clean up.

In an effort to protect birds, scientists have even deprived Bermuda petrels of the right to privacy! Small cameras are installed in the nests - they film the petrels' everyday life 24/7. There are even websites where you can watch an online broadcast from the cahow!



Dad is going to cook scrambled eggs from what's in the fridge.

All these measures have led to the fact that the bird population has slowly but surely begun to grow. Of course, they are still far from their former number of several tens of thousands of individuals. The Bermuda Petrel remains one of the rarest birds in the world, with an adult population of no more than 300 individuals. But a start has been made!



Meet Somers, the first cahow chick born on Nonsuch Island since the species went extinct in 1620.

In addition, in an effort to protect the birds, people began to plant endemic plants on the islands and generally return Bermuda to its true appearance. This is how the birds protected their home twice: first by scaring people away with their otherworldly cries. Not very successfully, but let's not judge, they have paws. And then with their uniqueness. And this attempt is already a credit!