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New research has confirmed that invasive rats decimate seabird populations, with previously unrecognized consequences for the extensive coral reefs that encircle and protect these islands. Invasive predators such as rats — which feed on bird eggs, chicks, and even adults birds — are estimated to have decimated seabird populations within 90 percent of the world’s temperate and tropical island groups, but until now the extent of their impact on surrounding coral reefs wasn’t known.