Nesospiza wilkinsi

Visits to Nightingale can now be made by islanders via at least two RIBs as well as the fishery patrol vessel and the crayfish vessel operating in Tristan waters (P. G. Ryan in litt. 2012). This species is thus permanently at risk from the accidental introduction of mammalian predators which could prey on eggs, chicks and nesting birds. Another threat is the invasion of the introduced New Zealand flax Phormium tenax into areas of Phylica, but initial clearing in 2004 and ongoing follow-up operations have largely eliminated this threat (P. G. Ryan in litt. 2012). It may be benefiting from the cessation of wood cutting by Tristan islanders visiting Nightingale, resulting in some Phylica regeneration, but there are reports that an alien scale insect (common on Tristan and locally common on Inaccessible) is also on Nightingale, which may have significant impacts on fruit production (P. G. Ryan in litt. 2012). On Inaccessible, heavily infested trees have much lower fruit loads than healthy trees. Another potential threat is a black fungus-like growth which has previously from Tristan to Inaccessible, though there is currently no evidence of its presence on Nightingale. It is also potentially threatened by catastrophic weather events and the effects of climate change: strong winds blow down large swathes of Phylica (as happened in 2001), potentially affecting the habitat quite significantly (P. G. Ryan in litt. 2012).