Ynys Feurig

Site of Special Scientific Interest · 53.2349, -4.5383

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Gwynedd County

Climate exposure

This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.

Coastal

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

Landscape processes: Coastal

Birds & fish recorded

Birds

SpeciesSeason
roseate tern Breeding

Description

Description The largest tern colony in Wales breeds on Ynys Feurig. In recent years the island has supported between 500 and 900 pairs of terns of four species during the breeding season. The tern species involved are: roseate, sandwich, common and arctic. The roseate tern colony is important in a European context, as it contains a significant proportion (around one quarter) of the N.W. Europe breeding population of this species. Ynys Feurig is made up of a series of islands forming a low ridge of almost vertically inclined rock strata extending almost half a mile out to sea and connected to the beach at its landward end for a period around each low tide. The outer island which is slightly higher than the others is partly vegetated, mainly with marram grass Ammophila arenaria, red fescue Festuca rubra and thrift Armeria maritima and many of the terns nest here.

Species mentioned

English name
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Latin name
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IUCN / Red List Type Family
roseate tern Sterna dougallii CR (Breeding) bird-tern laridae
marram grass Ammophila arenaria LC grass poaceae
red fescue Festuca rubra LC grass poaceae
thrift Armeria maritima CR herb plumbaginaceae