Lights out: the island that goes dark to save young seabirds – in pictures

The Guardian Environment Sunday 25 October 2026, 11:00 UTC By Andrea D Zanenga 1 min read

Key Points

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 starsOnce 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...

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

Once 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.

A newborn Cory’s shearwater chick

Corvo Island (LOCATION) Azores (PERSON) Cory (PERSON) Corvo (ORG) Portugal (LOCATION) Azores archipelago (LOCATION) the Atlantic Ocean (LOCATION)

Originally published by The Guardian Environment Read original →

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