Animals · Azores, Portugal

Azores villages switch off their lights so young seabirds can find the sea

For the last five nights of October, public lighting on the island of Corvo is turned off so fledgling shearwaters are not lured inland.

Published 6 November 2026 · Original report 1 November 2026 · 3 min read

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Originally reported by Good News Network on 1 November 2026

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On the Portuguese island of Corvo in the Azores, public lighting is switched off from 9pm to 4am for the last five nights of October. The reason is that young Cory's shearwaters leave their nests at that time and can be pulled off course by artificial light. Volunteers also collect birds that become grounded and help them back to sea. The programme is run by the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) together with the Corvo municipality, as part of the LuMinAves and EElabs projects. More than 30,000 fledglings have been rescued in the Azores since 2015, including about 6,000 on Corvo. The original report from Good News Network cites SPEA and a Guardian photo essay on the work.

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Azores villages switch off their lights so young seabirds can find the sea

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