Data Zone
Country/territory: Canada
IBA criteria met: -
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 31 ha
Site description (baseline)
Owen Channel is a body of water that lies between the southeastern end of Manitoulin Island (Lake Huron, Ontario) and Fitzwilliam Island. These islands are low-lying to gently sloping in this location.
Key biodiversity
In the fall and early winter, significant numbers of moulting Red-necked Grebes are found in Owen Channel. In the fall of 1994, 220 were seen here. This represents about 1% of the eastern population of the species.
The moulting locations that Red-necked Grebes use in the vicinity of Manitoulin Island share several characteristics. They are generally between 100 to 2,000 m away from the shoreline, the water depth varies from 3 to 55 m, they are partially sheltered (that is in the lee of islands or in large bays), and have varied lake bottom topography containing shelves or holes.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Owen Channel. Downloaded from
http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/11362 on 10/06/2023.
