Lights out: the island that goes dark to save young seabirds – in pictures
The residents of Corvo Island in the Azores turn off public lighting for several nights each autumn to protect fledgling Cory’s shearwaters. This conservation effort prevents the birds from becoming disoriented by artificial light during their first flight to the ocean.
Why it matters
This community-led initiative highlights the impact of light pollution on migratory species and demonstrates effective local conservation strategies.
Every autumn, Corvo Island in thre Azores turns off its public lighting for a few key days to help fledgling Cory’s shearwaters as they attempt to fly to the ocean guided by the stars
About this content Sun 25 Oct 2026 11.00 GMT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google O nce a year, Corvo, the smallest and most northerly island of Portugal’s Azores archipelago, goes dark. Since 2019, the island’s 450 or so inhabitants have chosen to switch off the lights every autumn for five nights to tackle the disastrous effects of artificial light on Cory’s shearwaters, a seabird endemic to the Atlantic Ocean.
It began in 1991 when the community noticed huge numbers of deaths among young shearwaters.
The juveniles spend three months in their nests before attempting their first flight to the ocean, orienting themselves by the stars.
A newborn Cory’s shearwater chick
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