It was previously named Jervis Island (/ˈdʒɜːrvɪs, ˈdʒɑːr-/) by British captain James Colnett in 1793 in honor of John Jervis, the martinet admiral who later defeated the French Navy at Cape St. Vincent during the Napoleonic Wars.

In addition to flamingos and the bachelor sea lion colony, pelicans, white-cheeked pintails, boobies, and nine species of finch have been reported.

[4] The rich wildlife attracts a number of tourist cruises.

In 1971, the Galápagos National Park Service successfully eradicated goats from Rábida as this introduced species upset the natural environment and led to the extinction of several native creatures including geckos, land iguanas, and rice rats.

In January 2011, invasive rodents were removed from the island by the Galápagos National Park staff, assisted by Island Conservation to benefit Galapagos penguins and Scalesia stewartii (a tree-forming daisy and the plant equivalent of one of Darwin's finches).