Three Sisters Important Bird Area

Group of seven Black-faced Cormorants roosting on guano-splattered rocks
The IBA is an important site for black-faced cormorants

The Three Sisters are three small and rocky islands, with a collective land area of 2 ha, lying 500 m off the north coast of Tasmania, Australia, between the towns of Penguin and Ulverstone.

Description

The islands are steep-sided. Their vegetation of sparse coastal scrub is largely limited to their summits. Because landings are difficult owing to the lack of beaches and safe anchoring points they are little affected by human visitation and disturbance, although Australian fur seals haul-out on the lowest of them. Along with the neighbouring Goat Island, they are part of the 37 ha Three Sisters – Goat Island Nature Reserve.[1]

Birds

The island group has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because, with up to 400 breeding pairs, it supports over 1% of the world population of black-faced cormorants.[2] Pacific gulls and sooty oystercatchers breed there every year in small numbers, and Caspian terns have nested there. White-bellied sea-eagles forage around the islands.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Three Sisters (Bass Strait). Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2011-11-05.
  2. ↑ "IBA: Three Sisters (Bass Strait)". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 2011-11-04.

Coordinates: 41°07′21″S 146°07′41″E / 41.12250°S 146.12806°E