---
title: "Killer mice continue to wreak havoc on burrowing seabirds on Gough Island, including the ACAP-listed Grey Petrel"
---

# Killer mice continue to wreak havoc on burrowing seabirds on Gough Island, including the ACAP-listed Grey Petrel

Ben Dilley ([Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology](http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/), DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa) and colleagues have published in the journal [*Antarctic Science*](http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ANS) on the deleterious effects of introduced House Mice *Mus musculus* on the breeding success of seven species of burrowing seabirds on Gough Island, including the ACAP-listed Grey Petrel *Procellaria cinerea*.

 The paper’s abstract follows:

 “Since 2004 there has been mounting evidence of the severe impact of introduced house mice (*Mus musculus* L.) killing chicks of burrow-nesting petrels at Gough Island.  We monitored seven species of burrow-nesting petrels in 2014 using a combination of infra-red video cameras augmented by burrowscope nest inspections.  All seven camera-monitored Atlantic petrel (*Pterodroma incerta* Schlegel) chicks were killed by mice within hours of hatching (average 7.2±4.0 hours) with an 87% chick failure rate (n=83 hatchlings).  Several grey petrel (*Procellaria cinerea* Gmelin) chicks were found with mouse wounds and 60% of chicks failed (n=35 hatchlings).  Video surveillance revealed one (of seven nests filmed) fatal attack on a great shearwater (*Puffinus gravis* O’Reilly) chick and two (of nine) on soft-plumaged petrel (*Pterodroma mollis* Gould) chicks.  Mice killed the chicks of the recently discovered summer-breeding MacGillivray’s prion (*Pachyptila macgillivrayi* Mathews), with a chick mortality rate of 82% in 2013/14 and 100% in 2014/15.  The closely-related broad-billed prion (*P. vittata* Forster) breeds in late winter and also had a chick mortality rate of 100% in 2014.  The results provide further evidence of the dire situation for seabirds nesting on Gough Island and the urgent need for mouse eradication.”

 ![](https://www.acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Petrels/G/Grey/Grey_Petrel_by_Peter_Ryan2.jpg) 

 Grey Petrel, photograph by Peter Ryan

 A one-minute video of an Atlantic Petrel chick being attacked by a mouse accompanies the publication.

 With thanks to Alex Bond.

 **Reference:**

 Dilley, B.J., Davies, D., Bond, A.L. & Ryan, P.G. 2015.  Effects of mouse predation on burrowing petrel chicks at Gough Island.  [*Antarctic Science*  DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0954102015000279](http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9800373&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0954102015000279).

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 6 July 2015*