Nightingale Islands

Nightingale Islands

Location of the Nightingale Islands in the Atlantic Ocean

Map of Tristan da Cunha showing the Nightingale Islands and Inaccessible Island.

The Nightingale Islands are a group of three islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, part of the Tristan da Cunha territory. They consist of Nightingale Island, Middle Island and Stoltenhoff Island. The islands are administered by the United Kingdom as part of the overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The Nightingale Islands are uninhabited.

Nightingale Island is the smallest of the four main islands of the Tristan da Cunha Group, measuring only 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi), and lies 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) away from Tristan and 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from Inaccessible. Stoltenhoff and Alex (also known as Middle Island), are really two large islets rather than conventional islands.

History

Originally named "Gebrooken (Broken) island" by the Dutch under Jan Jacobszoon in January 1656, they found no safe anchorage and did not make the first landing until 1696 (most likely by Willem de Vlamingh in August of that year). Frenchman D'Etchevery also visited the island in September 1767. Nightingale was renamed after British captain Gamaliel Nightingale in 1760.

Jonathan Lambert temporarily changed the name to "Lovel Island" in his 1811 proclamation in the "Boston Gazette" but as with his other proposed changes (ie. Tristan da Cunha Group to "Isles of Refreshment") the name did not last.

Wildlife

Nightingale, a tiny island, is home to more than 3 million pairs of seabirds and at a density of around 1.3 pairs per square metre, almost the entire vegetated island is occupied. Both the Nightingale and Wilkins' Bunting are found nowhere else in the world.

For these reasons the island has been recognised internationally as: a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention; an Important Bird Area (IBA); and part of the Tristan da Cunha Endemic Bird Area (EBA).