Data Zone
Country/territory: Canada
IBA criteria met: A4i (2008)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 5,300 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
Île du Lac is located in the Strait of Belle Isle, in the northeastern part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It borders the east side of Ouapitagone Straits and lies about 2 km off the north shore of the gulf. The island’s north shore is well indented and allows sand to accumulate in the protected bays, creating shallow banks. Offshore, there are numerous rocks and islets. Inland the island landscape, which is dotted with small ponds, consists of rocky outcrops, shrub and grassland.
Key biodiversity
A large colony of Great Cormorants nests on Île du Lac. At last count, in 1990, the colony was 139 pairs strong, which is about 2% of the North American population. The number of breeding pairs has remained relatively stable for the last five decades, but is far short of the maximum of 4,500 birds set in 1860.
The Double-crested Cormorant formerly bred here, but no longer does so. In the past, its population peaked twice at 210 individuals, in 1930, and at 500 in 1860. Finally, breeding of RTLO has been confirmed twice on the island, the last time in 1988.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Île du Lac (Canada). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/île-du-lac-iba-canada on 23/11/2024.