St Helens Island
Encyclopedia
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
island, with an area of 51 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
, in south-eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The island is a conservation area, though it has been burnt in the past and is still subject to severe rabbit grazing. The island forms part of the St Helens Important Bird Area
St Helens Important Bird Area
St Helens Important Bird Area comprises four separate sites, with a collective total area of 24 km2, in the vicinity of the town of St Helens on the northern part of the east coast of Tasmania, south-eastern Australia.-Description:...
, identified as such by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
because of its importance as a breeding site for seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s and wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s.
Fauna
Recorded breeding seabirdSeabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
species are Little Penguin
Little Penguin
The Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to an average of in height and in length , is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names...
, Short-tailed Shearwater
Short-tailed Shearwater
The Short-tailed Shearwater or Slender-billed Shearwater , also called Yolla or Moonbird, and commonly known as the muttonbird in Australia, is the most abundant seabird species in Australian waters, and is one of the few Australian native birds in which the chicks are commercially harvested...
, Common Diving-Petrel, White-faced Storm-Petrel
White-faced Storm-petrel
The White-faced Storm Petrel , also known as White-faced Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Pelagodroma....
, Pacific Gull
Pacific Gull
The Pacific Gull is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common between Carnarvon in the west, and Sydney in the east, although it has become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a result of competition from the Kelp Gull, which has "self-introduced" since...
and Silver Gull
Silver Gull
The Silver Gull also known simply as "seagull" in Australia, is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly coastal areas. The South African Hartlaub's Gull and the New Zealand Red-billed Gull The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus...
. European Rabbit
European Rabbit
The European Rabbit or Common Rabbit is a species of rabbit native to south west Europe and north west Africa . It has been widely introduced elsewhere often with devastating effects on local biodiversity...
s have been introduced. The Metallic Skink
Metallic Skink
The Metallic Cool-skink or Metallic Skink is a species of skink in the Scincidae family. It is endemic to Australia, found in southern Victoria, as well as in Tasmania where it is the most widespread and common lizard, occurring on many offshore islands in Bass Strait as well as the mainland. It...
is present.
Other islands in the Waterhouse Group with breeding seabirds include:
- Ninth IslandNinth IslandNinth Island is an island, with an area of 32 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania. It is partly privately owned and has been badly affected in the past by grazing, frequent fires and, in July 1995, by the...
- Tenth IslandTenth IslandTenth Island is a small island nature reserve, sometimes called "Barrenjoey", with an area of 900 m2, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania...
- Waterhouse Island
- Little Waterhouse IslandLittle Waterhouse IslandLittle Waterhouse Island is a small island, with an area of 2.5 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania. Most of the island is bare rock...
- Maclean IslandMaclean IslandMaclean Island is a small island, with an area of 1.11 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania.-Fauna:...
- Baynes IslandBaynes IslandBaynes Island is a group of three islets, connected at low tide, with a combined area of 1.62 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania.-Fauna:...
- Cygnet Island
- Foster IslandsFoster Islands (Tasmania)The Foster Islands are two small islands, connected at low tide, with a combined area of 48 ha, in south-eastern Australia. They are part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania...
- Swan IslandSwan Island (Tasmania)Swan Island is a granite island, with an area of 239 ha , in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania. Part of the island is privately owned and it contains an automated lighthouse, several houses and an airstrip. It...
- Little Swan IslandLittle Swan IslandLittle Swan Island is an island, with an area of 12.64 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania.-Fauna:...
- Bird RockBird RockBird Rock is a small granite island, with an area of about 1 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania.-Fauna:...
- George RocksGeorge RocksGeorge Rocks comprises three adjacent granite islets with their associated reefs, with a combined area of about 7 ha, in south-eastern Australia...
- Paddys IslandPaddys IslandPaddys Island is a flat granite island, with an area of 4.6 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania...