not to be confused with the Mercury Islands

Mercury Islands

The Mercury Islands lie off the northeast coast of New Zealand's North Island. They are located off the coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, and northeast of the town of Whitianga....

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

Mercury Island is a small rocky island off The Diamond Coast, Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

. Despite its small size it is recognised by Bird Life and other global conservation groups as one of the Important Bird Areas (IBAs) for its important coastal seabird breeding.

Situation

Mercury Island is situated in 800 metres offshore in Spencer Bay, 110 kilometres north of Lüderitz

Lüderitz

Lüderitz is a harbour town in south-west Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.- Overview :...

. The island is only 750 metres long (North-South) and about 270 metres wide, reaching a height of 38 metres above the sea. Steep, rocky, without vegetation, covered in a thick layer of bird guano, and riddled with a number of caves (one of which completely bisects the island), Mercury Island's name comes from the shaking which reverberates through the island during westerly wave action. Its nearest neighbour and like bird habitat is Ichaboe Island, about 65 kilometres to the south. With Ichaboe Island, Mercury is one of the two most important island seabird breeding sites along the Namibian coast. Consequently, it is permanently inhabited by a two-person bird research station, built on the remains of a bird guano mining dock along the northeast side of the island. The Island's 3 hectares are home to 16000 penguins, 1200 gannets and 5000 cormorants, which range tens of kilometres out to sea, and return to the island to breed.

Importance to wildlife

Together with Ichaboe Island, Halifax Island and the Possession Islands

Possession Islands

The Possession Islands are a group of small islands and rocks extending over an area of about , lying in the western part of the Ross Sea, southeast of Cape McCormick, Victoria Land...

, these islands support the entire Namibian breeding population of Cape Gannets Morus Capensis, 96% of the Namibian population of the endangered African Penguin

African Penguin

The African Penguin , also known as the Black-footed Penguin is a species of penguin, confined to southern African waters. It is known as Brilpikkewyn in Afrikaans, Inguza or Unombombiya in Xhosa, Manchot Du Cap in French and Pingüino Del Cabo in Spanish...

 Spheniscus Demersus, and nearly one quarter of the global breeding population of Crowned Cormorants Phalacrocorax coronatus.
Approximately 80% of the global population of the endangered Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus breeds on Mercury Island and in the Ichaboe Islands.

There is a dwelling on the island, which is frequented by scientists and conservationists monitoring wildlife in the area.