Kongsfjorden Bird Sanctuary

Kongsfjorden Bird Sanctuary
Kongsfjorden fuglereservat

Kongsfjorden viewed from Blomstrandhalvøya
Location Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway
Nearest town Ny-Ålesund
Coordinates 78°55′N 12°10′E / 78.917°N 12.167°E / 78.917; 12.167
Area 7.1 km2 (2.7 sq mi), of which
1.4 km2 (0.54 sq mi) is land
Established July 1, 1973 (1973-07-01)
Governing body Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management
The sanctuary is an important breeding site for King Eiders

Kongsfjorden Bird Sanctuary (Norwegian: Kongsfjorden fuglereservat) is a 140 ha bird reserve at Svalbard, Norway, established in 1973.[1] It includes islands and islets in Kongsfjorden, Haakon VII Land.[2] It lies at the inner end of the fjord and consists of about ten islands, mainly covered with grassy vegetation and having small freshwater ponds. The fjord is surrounded by steep mountains, cliffs, glaciers and tundra. The reserve has been recognised as a wetland of international importance by designation under the Ramsar Convention. It has also been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International. It supports breeding populations of pink-footed and barnacle geese, common and king eiders, long-tailed ducks, purple sandpipers, red phalaropes, glaucous gulls, long-tailed jaegers and snow buntings. Ivory gulls have been recorded.[3]


References

  1. ↑ "Forskrift om opprettelse av nasjonalparker, naturresevater og fuglereservater, Svalbard." (in Norwegian). Lovdata. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "Kongsfjorden fuglereservat (Svalbard)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
  3. ↑ "Inner parts of Kongsfjorden". Important Bird Areas factsheet. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-08-22.

Coordinates: 78°55′N 12°32′E / 78.917°N 12.533°E / 78.917; 12.533

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