Nigel (gannet)

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Nigel was an Australasian gannet who lived on Mana Island, off Porirua, New Zealand. He arrived around 2015 and became the island’s only gannet for most of his time there. Because of this, people nicknamed him “no mates Nigel” and called him the world’s loneliest seabird. He even chose a concrete statue of a fake gannet as his mate, building a nest on the edge of a cliff and grooming the statue as if it were a real partner.

Mana Island had previously tried to bring gannets back since 1998 by placing 80 concrete decoys, painting guano on the ground, and using solar-powered speakers to play gannet calls, but no real birds settled there until Nigel.

In early 2018, real gannets did arrive after the Department of Conservation moved the speakers, but Nigel did not make friends with them. He was found dead in late January 2018, beside his concrete mate. His death attracted wide media attention, with The New York Times calling him the world’s loneliest seabird and The Washington Post calling him a hero.

There was some concern that weed-killing spray used near the colony might have contributed to his death, but a necropsy could not confirm this, and the Department of Conservation treated his death as natural. Nigel’s body was stored in a DOC facility in Porirua.

Legacy: A small memorial was discussed by local groups and iwi, and in 2022 a Canadian band released a song about Nigel. Today, Nigel is still remembered as a symbol of loneliness and as a story that drew global attention to Mana Island and New Zealand’s wildlife.