Bird Island (Falkland Islands)
| Bird Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | South Atlantic | |
| Archipelago | Falkland Islands | |
| Geographical location | 52 ° 10 ′ 0 ″ S , 60 ° 55 ′ 0 ″ W | |
|
||
| length | 2 km | |
| width | 1.1 km | |
| surface | 1.2 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 107 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Bird Island ( Spanish Isla Pájaro ) is an island in the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic and is located 4.5 km south of West Falkland . It has been a nature reserve of the Falkland government since 1996 .
geography
Bird Island is a small island with an area of about 120 hectares . Its coasts are mostly steep cliffs that are up to 70 m high in the western half of the south coast. Landing by boat is only possible in a bay in the northeast. There is a large seasonal pond in the middle of the island .
Flora and fauna
The vegetation is sparse and dominated by tussock . A total of twelve types of flowering plants were found.
Bird Island is an important breeding ground for various seabirds . In total, more than 10,000 pairs from 25 species breed here, which is why the island is designated as an Important Bird Area (FK03) by BirdLife International . The black -browed albatross , rockhopper penguin and the Belcher petrel are particularly common . With a population of 10,000 animals, the south-east of the island is home to the largest colony of South American fur seals on the Falkland Islands.