The initiative “PhaethON. From the tropics to the Canary Islands” is a project developed by the GIC Association to describe the recent colonization process and the current situation of the ethereal tropicbird (Phaeton aethereus), a tropical seabird, in the Canary Islands.

The initiative “PhaethON. From the tropics to the Canary Islands” is a project developed by the GIC Association (Research and Conservation Group) todescribe the recent colonization process and the current situation of the ethereal frijunc (Phaeton aethereus), a tropical seabird, in the Canary Islands. It is one of the beneficiary projects of the 2017 call for grants of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

This initiativepresents the first data on the reproductive phenology and breeding habitat of the ethereal tropicbird in the Canary Islands. The fact that in the past there were accessible nests and that today they are all located on vertical cliffs, which can only be reached by climbing, could indicate that the species is under some pressure.

Within the framework of the project , 13 specimens have been ringed and the species has been included in the LESRPE (List of Wild Species under Special Protection Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Wild Species), in addition to carrying out an assessment of its conservation status and the possible threat factors it suffers.

The initiative’s technicians have created a historical database of the ethereal tropicbird on the islands, based on a compilation and centralization of the historical information of the species distributed in online databases, publications and private observers. Thus, a complete catalogue has been obtained with 75 observations relating to 158 specimens, on the trend and evidence of breeding of the species throughout history in the Canary Islands and the map of its current distribution on the islands.

A visit was made to the breeding colony of Tindaya, on the island of Fuerteventura, obtaining variables to characterize its preferred habitat on land. A total of six reproductive cavities were analyzed, and six specimens were tagged and banded. In addition, the technicians analyzed the reproductive parameters in the nests, defining the breeding pairs and the non-breeding specimens and made an approximation to the dates of the different reproductive stages of the ethereal tropicbird.

One of the objectives of the project was to assess the threats to the species, especially from introduced predators such as cats or rats. The traces of livestock that could affect some of the nests by transit and the presence of fishermen or birdwatchers who are not very respectful were also studied.

As a measure to protect the species, the entity proposed its inclusion in lists or catalogs of protected species. Thus, he proposed to the Subdirectorate General of the Natural Environment of the Ministry for Ecological Transition that the species be included in the revision of the LESRPE, an objective achieved that guarantees its recognition at an official level. On the other hand, it presented a procedure for cataloguing endangered species through the web form of the Subdirectorate General of the Natural Environment.

Within the activities carried out in the project, a section has been created on the GIC website that collects information on the status of the species in the Canary Islands and on , in addition to another section related to the blog “First campaign of the PHAETHON project”, with information on the evolution of the initiative. Informative workshop talks have also been given.