• No news currently, check back later
• Why not check out our great value bird news subscriptions

LED Street Lights Killing Seabirds on Cape Verde

by Associação Projecto Vitó

Conservationists are calling for urgent action to protect vulnerable seabirds following the deaths of over 150 birds caused by high-intensity LED streetlights

The seabirds were killed due to impact with the lights or were later preyed upon by domestic cats (© Associação Projecto Vitó)

Light pollution is threatening the survival of seabird species on Brava Island. The replacement of street lamps with high-intensity LED lights is causing the death of hundreds of birds, putting colonies of protected species at risk.

On March 25th of this year, we received information from fishermen on Brava Island, who are part of our Guardians of the Sea Programme, reporting a high number of seabird deaths. In response, we organised a technical team to assess the situation and immediately contacted the National Directorate for the Environment (DNA) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAA) on Brava Island. The investigation revealed that the cause of the falls and deaths of the birds was the replacement of yellow light bulbs with high-intensity LED lights in the town of Tantum. This replacement is being carried out by the Cape Verde Electricity Distribution Company (EDEC) as part of a programme by the Cape Verdean Government. Apparently, this change in lighting was not preceded by any environmental impact study. Tantum is a fishing community located close to the main seabird colonies on Brava Island.

The survey conducted by our team identified more than 150 dead birds, belonging to three species endemic to Cape Verde and one migratory species:

• Boyd’s Shearwater (Puffinus boydi) (Pedreiro)
• Cape Verde Storm-petrel (Hydrobates jabejabe) (Pedreirinho)
• White-faced Storm-petrel (Pelagodroma marina) (Pedreiro Azul)
• Leach's Storm-petrel Hydrobates leucorhous (Pedreirinho do Norte do Atlântico)

The birds died due to impact with the lights or were later preyed upon by domestic cats.

Urgent Action Required

The Vitó Project Association has already filed a complaint with the DNA and shared details of the impact with EDEC and DNA. However, no corrective action has been taken to date. The lights continue to attract and kill seabirds every night, putting at risk the main colonies of these species on Brava Island, Fogo Island and the Rombo Ilhéus Integral Nature Reserve. Given the gravity of the situation, urgent intervention by environmental authorities is essential to prevent the decimation of entire colonies of protected species.

The LED lights on a hillside (© Associação Projecto Vitó)

The Impact of Light Pollution on Seabirds

At a global level, it is widely recognized that light pollution represents one of the main environmental threats to pelagic seabirds. In Cabo Verde, especially in coastal areas and in the breeding areas of these species:

Latest articles

Weekly birding round up 24 Dec 2025 - 8 Jan 2026

Jon Dunn brings you his first roundup of 2026 and its a bumper edition looking back at the festive fortnight as we saw out 2025 and welcomed in a new year. More here >

Review of the Year 2025: Part 1

We look back at the standout rarity records and notable species recorded in Britain and Ireland in early 2025. More here >

Songbird breeding outcomes improve sharply between 2024 and 2025

Warm, settled weather helped many familiar species raise more young, offering a rare piece of good news after a disastrous summer in 2024. More here >

Yellow-legged Gulls are moving closer to people as fear and disturbance decline

Long-term research from north-west Spain shows Yellow-legged Gulls abandoning traditional refuges and triggering the formation of multi-species waterbird colonies in more accessible coastal sites. More here >

Asian Koels do not copy their hosts' eggs - but may be shadowing the wrong species

Objective analysis across Asia finds no evidence that koels match their eggs to those of the birds they parasitise most often. challenging long-held assumptions about the brood parasite. More here >