Sumburgh Head
Also within
Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Guillemot (Uria aalge), breeding | Unfavourable Declining | — | 2017-10-27 |
| F2 | Puffin (Fratercula arctica), breeding | Unfavourable Declining | — | 2017-10-27 |
| F3 | Seabird colony, breeding | Unfavourable Declining | — | 2018-11-09 |
| F4 | Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), breeding | Unfavourable Declining | — | 2017-10-27 |
| F5 | Silurian - Devonian Chordata | Favourable | — | 2009-10-14 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Devonian, Silurian · Rock Type: Sandstone
Landscape processes: Coastal
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| fulmar | Breeding |
| guillemot | Breeding |
| kittiwake | Breeding |
| puffin | Breeding |
Description
Sumburgh Head Sumburgh Head Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) lies on the southern most headland on the mainland of Shetland. The site follows the coastline east from the Small Geos of the Parks up to the Scult of Laward. The site consists of high cliffs of Old Red Sandstone, of up to 100 metres, and outlying stacks which provide an important breeding site for various seabirds. Sumburgh Head is nationally and internationally important for its breeding seabird colony, one of the largest in Britain. Geologically the site is noted for its nationally important specimens of vertebrates (of the order Chordata) dating from 440 – 350 million years ago (Silurian-Devonian). Sumburgh Head is of national geological interest for vertebrate palaeontology as it contains the earliest known fish bed of the Middle Devonian Orcadian Basin. The fish bed holds a mixture of forms from the Middle and Upper Devonian period and is consequently an important site to compare the rocks and fish of other Devonian fossil beds in northern Europe. The fish bed lies within a small section of the cliff between the lighthouse and The Bairns and is the only known location for the fish Asterolepis thule which along with other closely related species is important for determining the age of rocks from this period. The site is nationally important for its breeding seabird colony especially for its breeding guillemot, shag and puffin populations. The seabird colony also includes fulmar and kittiwake which occur in significant numbers along with a breeding colony of arctic terns.
Species mentioned
Show the 5 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| puffin | Fratercula arctica | CR (Breeding) | bird-auk | alcidae |
| guillemot | Uria aalge | LC (Breeding) | bird-auk | alcidae |
| shag | Gulosus aristotelis | VU (Breeding) | bird-frigate | fregatidae |
| fulmar | Fulmarus glacialis | CR (Breeding) | bird-fulmar | procellariidae |
| kittiwake | Rissa tridactyla | EN (Breeding) | bird-gull | laridae |