Northern rockhopper penguin mice ("Mus musculus") have been introduced into their environment by human sea expeditions. The mice have proven to be invasive, and consume northern rockhopper eggs, as well as hunt their young. In order to preserve the birds, a culling of the mice is being considered. The northern rockhopper penguin is classified as endangered because of the decline in numbers over the last three generations (or 30 years). Population Trends by Year and Island On March 16, 2011, the Maltese-registered freighter MS "Oliva" ran aground on Nightingale Island, spilling tons of heavy crude into the ocean. The crew was rescued, but
What Bird is That? all-time best seller in Australian natural history and is still in print today. While sales and stature of Cayley’s original collection continued to grow, the prolific artist and ornothologist Cayley was working on a much more ambitious project – his so-called “big bird book”. From about 1918, he was creating illustrations of subspecies, plumage stages and eggs (now lost) of all known Australian birds. The project was incomplete at the time of his death in 1950, although the illustrations were all but finished. The ornithologist Terence Lindsey revived Cayley’s plans in the 1980s, creating the last and most significant revision