Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Extent of this site: comprised of N. Tiechen, Gupoh, Tudigong, and Baisha, as well as the islets between Baisha Islet and Jibei Islet.
These are all square basalt terraces. The biggest deserted islet in Penghu is Gupoh Islet with total area of 21 ha, being 1 km long and 0.3 km wide. The islet is a square terrace formed with 4 land blocks and 3 isthmuses. There are natural white sand beaches both north and south on its eastern coast. The area from the northwest to the northeast of the islet is made of basalt, which is also a famous source for layer.
Tiechen Islet has cliffs on all sides. On its north side is a magnificent landform of a wave erosion hole. This islet used to be a military range, so broken rocks cover its surface. In the south there is a small area where red soils of weathered basalt can be found.
Baisha and Wugong Islets are together known as Tudigong (Earth God) Islet. The largest unique landform is a huge sand dune in the south, which is on the lee side of a basalt sea cliff. The entire islet of Wugong is formed of dense dark basalt. It is situated 500 m to the east Baisha Islet. In summer, many species of gulls and terns roost and breed in this area, but flocks are dominated by Bridled Terns. The Bridled Terns here constitute the largest group than any other places on the North Sea Islets.
IBA A4iii Criterion Species: include a variety of gulls and terns breeding in summer.
• Bridled Terns roost and breed on N. Tiechen Islet in summer, with numbers commonly reaching 700-800 birds. In August 1998, about 1,000 birds were recorded in June 1997, 450 Roseate Terns were recorded.
• In addition to the 2 terns mentioned above, 12 other species are found in this area. The following 5 species are protected: Asian Crested Goshawk, Little Tern, Bridled Tern, Black-naped Tern, and Common Noddy.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
• People intrude into areas roosted by the birds.
• There’s pressure from tourist activities.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Lobbying activities:
• The 1994 Planning examples of environmentally sensitive areas at the Coast of Taiwan considered Gupoh Islet and Chugua Islet Layer Reserves to be ecologically sensitive areas.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Northern Sea Islets (Taiwan, China). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/northern-sea-islets-iba-taiwan-china on 23/12/2024.
