[2] Kiribati declared the Phoenix Islands Protected Area in 2006, with the park being expanded in 2008.

It is treeless, covered mostly with low shrubs and grasses, and was once home to a colony of rabbits,[5] which have since been eradicated.

[9]: 7  On July 10, 1889, the British flag was raised, and the island was declared a protectorate of the United Kingdom.

In 1916, it was included among the islands leased for 87 years to Captain Allen of the Samoan Shipping and Trading Company.

Birnie is rarely visited today, though a New Zealand-funded scientific expedition to rid the island of rats and other invasive animal species was carried out in 2008.