Elephant bird bird" egg after it was radiographed. It is widely believed that the extinction of "Aepyornis" was a result of human activity. The birds were initially widespread, occurring from the northern to the southern tip of Madagascar. One theory states that humans hunted the elephant birds to extinction in a very short time for such a large landmass (the Blitzkrieg hypothesis). There is indeed evidence that they were hunted and their preferred habitats destroyed. Eggs may have been particularly vulnerable. 19th-century travelers saw eggshells used as bowls, and a recent archaeological study found remains of eggshells among the remains of human
Bird Island, South Georgia wandering albatross were ringed, which gave startling data about their range - one bird was found in Australia . The island is currently a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and so there are no landings allowed without permission. The summit of the island, Roché Peak is named after the Englishman Anthony de la Roché who discovered South Georgia in 1675. 2008 marked the 50th anniversary of biological research on Bird Island. The island has been a station for Antarctic research since 1963, and is currently a biological research station of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at Jordan Cove, with three