Michaelmas and Upolu Cays is a national park in
Queensland,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, northwest of
Brisbane and east of
Cairns
Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
. It comprises two small
cays on Michaelmas Reef, which forms the north-eastern section of the Arlington reef complex, within the
Great Barrier Reef.
Flora and fauna
Plants
The vegetation on Michaelmas Cay is characteristic of cays found on the outer barrier reef. Low-growing, it consists of
beach spinifex,
stalky grass,
goatsfoot,
bulls-head vine,
sea purslane Sea purslane is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
* ''Halimione portulacoides'', in family Amaranthaceae
* ''Honckenya peploides'', in family Caryophyllaceae
* ''Sesuvium maritimum'', in family Aizoaceae
* ''Sesuvium portulacastrum ...
and
tar vine. Nutrients fertilising the vegetation come from
seabird droppings and carcasses. The smaller Upolu Cay is un-vegetated.
Animals
Michaelmas Cay is important as a breeding site for several species of
terns. It has been identified by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of
greater and
lesser crested tern
The lesser crested tern (''Thalasseus bengalensis'')Bridge, E. S.; Jones, A. W. & Baker, A. J. (2005)A phylogenetic framework for the terns (Sternini) inferred from mtDNA sequences: implications for taxonomy and plumage evolution. ''Molecular Ph ...
s.
Sooty tern
The sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans, returning to land only to breed on islands throughout the equatorial zone.
Taxonomy
The sooty tern was described by Carl Linnaeu ...
s and
common noddies
The brown noddy or common noddy (''Anous stolidus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The b ...
also breed there. Other terns that have nested on the cay in the past include
roseate and
black-naped tern
The black-naped tern (''Sterna sumatrana'') is an oceanic tern mostly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is rarely found inland.
Description
The tern is about 30 cm long with a wing length of 21†...
s.
[BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Michaelmas Cay. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 15 August 2011.]
Green turtles sometimes nest on the cays. The surrounding reefs have a rich marine fauna, including
giant clams.
[
]
See also
* Protected areas of Queensland
References
National parks of Far North Queensland
Protected areas established in 1975
Important Bird Areas of Queensland
Islands on the Great Barrier Reef
1975 establishments in Australia
Uninhabited islands of Australia
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