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Site description (2006 baseline):
Site location and context
Kidney Island is roughly kidney-shaped, as its name
suggests, and lies about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) off the coast of
East Falkland, at the southern entrance to Berkeley Sound.
It is largely low lying, with the highest point at 18 m above
sea level, and is almost covered with mature Tussac. There
are boulder beaches on eastern and western coasts, a large
sand bay facing south-west and near-vertical cliffs along
much of the northern coastline.
Cochon Island is a small island lying adjacent to Kidney
Island, formed from steeply dipping rocks, which rise to
over 30 m at the island’s highest point. The soil is generally
thin and vegetation is limited to Tussac, Wild Celery and
Stonecrop, which vary in density throughout the rocky
ridges.
At least 34 species have been recorded breeding on Kidney
Island since 1960. The most numerous is the Sooty
Shearwater, which was apparently confined to the western
headland and steep north-western slopes in the 1930s, but
now burrows around the coast and well inland. Kidney
Island has one of only three known Falkland breeding
colonies of White-chinned Petrels. It is also the only
definite breeding site for Great Shearwaters outside the
Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island group in the South
Atlantic. Grey-backed Storm-petrels breed, but are very
difficult to count. Common Diving Petrels traditionally
bred but have not been found nesting in recent years. One
or two pairs of Macaroni Penguins breed regularly with the
Rockhoppers on Kidney, and small numbers of Rock Shags
and Imperial Shags are present,
but populations have not been counted recently.
Canary-winged/Black-throated Finches formerly bred on
Kidney but are now rarely seen, and one or two pairs of
Ruddy-headed Geese have bred there since 1983. These
small numbers, however, do not qualify the site. Other
endemic sub-species recorded are the Black-crowned
Night-heron, Upland Goose, Short-eared Owl, Dark-faced
Ground-tyrant, Falkland Pipit, Falkland Grass Wren,
Falkland Thrush and the Long-tailed Meadowlark.
Non-bird biodiversity: Both islands are used by Southern Sea Lions for hauling
out, and they can often be found resting in Tussac,
sometimes well inland and at the top of long slopes, but
apparently they do not now breed there. At least 26 species
of flowering plants have been recorded in recent years on
Kidney Island, including the two endemic ragworts, Woolly
Falkland Ragwort Senecio littoralis and Smooth Falkland
Ragwort Senecio vaginatus. The Swordgrass (sedge) Carex
trifida grows well with shorter Tussac. Preliminary
collections and surveys of the invertebrate fauna and flora
have been made because Kidney is an accessible, mature
Tussac island.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Kidney Island has not been grazed, but the Tussac was cut
in large quantities for use as fodder for horses and cattle in
Stanley until the early 1950s. Some Tussac on the eastern
half of the island was accidentally burnt in the 1940s. It is
not known whether Cochon Island has ever been stocked
and there is no evidence of it having being burnt. The
islands are free of introduced predators, but being at the
entrance of Berkeley Sound where many fishing vessels
come for transhipping and a safe anchorage, the risks of
accidental oil spills or the introduction of alien species to
the islands are high. Kidney Island has a high potential
value for guided day tours as it can be reached in half an
hour from Stanley. However, the Tussac is very dense
(sometimes overhanging dangerous cliffs) requiring
physical fitness, determination and caution from visitors
crossing the island. Near the southern landing bay a small
wooden Tussac cutters’ hut is now used occasionally by
researchers. Permission to visit Kidney Island must be
obtained from the Government Environmental Planning
Department. It is essential that all visitors follow the
Falkland Islands Countryside Code
particularly to guard against the risk of fire. A management
plan is being drafted by Falklands Conservation in close
consultation with the Environment Committee, which will
address the management issues for this group of islands.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kidney Island Group (Falkland Islands (Malvinas)). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kidney-island-group-iba-falkland-islands-(malvinas) on 22/11/2024.
