FK009
Kidney Island Group


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.

Key biodiversity
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 23/12/2024.