Data Zone
Country/territory: Ireland
IBA criteria met: B3 (2009)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 336 hectares (3.36 km2)
Site description (2000 baseline)
Two uninhabited rocky islets and surrounding waters, 6 km west of the Beara peninsula in south-west County Cork. There is a lighthouse on Bull Rock which is owned by Commissioners of Irish Lights. Cow Rock is publicly-owned.
Key biodiversity
This site supports important breeding seabird colonies. Additional seabirds breeding in nationally important numbers include Phalacrocorax carbo (50 pairs, 1987), Rissa tridactyla (590 pairs, 1987) and Uria aalge (2,000 pairs, 1987).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bull and Cow Rocks (Ireland). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bull-and-cow-rocks-iba-ireland on 23/12/2024.