Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA consists of Wedge Island, which lies 38 km off the coast of the Yorke Peninsula. Wedge Island, at 947 ha, is the largest island in the Gambier Island group. The island, which is comprised of granite with a calciferous sandstone cap, rises gradually from its low northern shore to reach a height of approximately 200 m along the precipitous cliffs to the south. Most of the island is dominated by Native Juniper mixed with Coast Daisy-bush and a variety of other stunted shrubs, including the introduced African Boxthorn, over a ground layer of grasses. The island was grazed by livestock for about 100 years until 1987, when it was purchased by a tourism company. The company has constructed a number of holiday homes, under strict conditions to maintain the island's ecological values. The island is devoid of introduced foreign mammals with the exception of the House Mouse (Bonnin & Angove 1980; Robinson et al. 1996).
On a visit to the island in February 1979, Bonnin and Angove (1980) observed Black-faced Cormorants occasionally, three (and perhaps five) Bush Stone-Curlews, six adult and four immature Pacific Gulls and several parties of Rock Parrots, these consisting of up to eight individuals.
Non-bird biodiversity: The IBA is a breeding site for the Australian Sea-lion, which is listed as a threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Breeding colonies of the Pearson Island subspecies of the Black-footed Rock-wallaby, which is listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999, and of the Brush-tailed Bettong, have been established on Wedge Island as part of recovery efforts for these taxa (Robinson et al. 1996).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Monitor numbers and breeding success of storm-petrels. Monitor for potential colonialisation by invasive alien plants and mammals.
None; but the owner (a tourism company) is under strict conditions to maintain the island's ecological values.
Private
Site access / Land-owner requests
Access is available through the tour operator.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wedge Island (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wedge-island-iba-australia on 25/01/2025.
