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.

A pair of roseate terns facing each other at their nesting site
The islands are important breeding sites for roseate terns

Description

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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

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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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "IBA: Low Rocks and Sterna Island (Kimberley)". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.

14°05′37″S 125°47′23″E / 14.09361°S 125.78972°E / -14.09361; 125.78972