Sheep Island
Also within
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
Landscape processes: Coastal
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| cormorant | Breeding |
| fulmar | Breeding |
| guillemot | Breeding |
| kittiwake | Breeding |
| puffin | Breeding |
| razorbill | Breeding |
Description
Sheep Island great cormorant The area is of special scientific interest because of the nationally important numbers of breeding cormorant, belonging to the Northern European sub-species Phalacrocorax carbo carbo. The cormorant comprise the second largest coastal colony in the British Isles, with around 7% of the Irish and 3% of the British Isles breeding population, which is approximately 0.8% of the total population of this sub-species. In addition, the site regularly supports other breeding sea bird species, including fulmar, shag, kittiwake, razorbill, guillemot, black guillemot and puffin. https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/sheep-island-assi
Species mentioned
Show the 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| razorbill | Alca torda | LC (Breeding) | bird-auk | alcidae |
| black guillemot | Cepphus grylle | NT (Breeding) | bird-auk | alcidae |
| puffin | Fratercula arctica | CR (Breeding) | bird-auk | alcidae |
| guillemot | Uria aalge | LC (Breeding) | bird-auk | alcidae |
| shag | Gulosus aristotelis | VU (Breeding) | bird-frigate | fregatidae |
| cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | NT (Breeding) | bird-frigate | fregatidae |
| fulmar | Fulmarus glacialis | CR (Breeding) | bird-fulmar | procellariidae |
| kittiwake | Rissa tridactyla | EN (Breeding) | bird-gull | laridae |