Linosa and Its Shearwaters

This month’s newsletter takes us to a tiny volcanic island in the Strait of Sicily, between Italy and Tunisia, and highlights its iconic inhabitants: Scopoli's shearwaters. These seabirds have been nesting in the crevices of the island’s rocks long before humans settled here in the 19th century.

The arrival of humans disrupted the delicate balance of this ecosystem and introduced new risks for the migratory birds that nest on Linosa. However, for nearly 20 years — thanks to the work of ornithologist Giacomo Dell’Omo and his organization Ornis Italica — the population of Scopoli's shearwaters on Linosa has been closely monitored and to some extent protected from multiple threats.

The newsletter summarizes a chapter from journalist Luca Misculin’s recent book "Mare aperto" (Open Sea), which explores this important seabird colony and its relationship with the local human population. The book, published in Italian by Einaudi, brings together a wide range of human stories that shape the identity of the central Mediterranean. We hope you enjoy the read!

Linosa, a tiny island in the Strait of Sicily about 50 kilometers (about 30 miles) north of larger Lampedusa, is covered in prickly pear cacti (Opuntia). Over the centuries, these resilient plants have flourished in the island’s rich volcanic soil. Water is incredibly scarce on Linosa, making it difficult for most other plants to thrive. But these cacti, native to Central America, have no trouble adapting to such a dry, sun-soaked climate.

The only rivals to the prickly pears in terms of presence on the island are the Scopoli's shearwaters (Calonectris diomedea) — large seabirds that are emblematic of the small islands scattered across the Mediterranean.

For tens of thousands of years, Linosa has served as a stopover point for the shearwaters. The shearwaters are remarkable creatures, known for their deep sense of loyalty: they choose a single mate for life. Each year, the female lays just one egg. These birds are long-lived, with lifespans reaching up to 50 years. And throughout those decades, they return to the same nest — always the same one. On Linosa, they've made their homes in the volcanic cliffs near the sea, particularly along the northern coast in a place known as Mannarazza.

In late May, when the Scopoli's shearwaters return to Linosa, they head straight for the volcanic crevices to incubate their egg — sheltered from the island’s winds and potential predators. According to Giacomo Dell’Omo, an ornithologist who has spent the past 18 years monitoring the shearwater population on Linosa, there was a time — up until 1845 — when these birds were the island’s only inhabitants. With the unification of Italy, the first official census in 1861 recorded 118 human residents on the island. Life was harsh and isolated due to limited connections with the mainland. To survive, early settlers had to rely on whatever the island provided — including the shearwater eggs, which the birds laid every spring.