Low Rocks and Sterna Island Important Bird Area
The Low Rocks and Sterna Island Important Bird Area comprises two islets lying about 14 km apart and with a collective area of 14 ha, in the Montesquieu group of islands, in the mouth of Admiralty Gulf in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Description
Low Rocks is a 4 ha islet with a covering of grass and low scrub. Sterna’s vegetation is dominated by pindan wattle and Triodia microstachya, but there are also bare sandstone ledges used by nesting seabirds. Low Rocks is a nature reserve, while Sterna is unallocated crown land. Average annual rainfall in the area is about 900 mm.[1]
Birds
The islands have been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because they support over 1% of the world population of roseate terns, with up to 4000 breeding pairs using the site.[2] Other seabirds recorded as breeding in the IBA include crested and lesser crested terns, and pied cormorants.[1]
References
- ^ a b BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Low Rocks and Sterna Island (Kimberley). Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 07/08/2011.
- ^ "IBA: Low Rocks and Sterna Island (Kimberley)". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
14°05′37″S 125°47′23″E / 14.09361°S 125.78972°E