Puffin Island (''Oileán na gCánóg'' in Irish) is an uninhabited steep rocky island lying off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula,

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Geography

The island is about 1.5 km long and 0.7 km wide, and rises to 213 metres. It is separated from the mainland by Puffin Sound, which is only about 250 metres across. Day visits to the island from Valentia can be arranged. It lies off the northern headland of St. Finian's Bay.

Nature conservation

Puffin Island holds important populations of several

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same envir ...

species, including Atlantic puffins, Manx shearwaters and European storm-petrels, and was acquired as a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

by the Irish Wildbird Conservancy (now

BirdWatch Ireland BirdWatch Ireland (BWI) is a voluntary conservation organisation devoted to the conservation and protection of wild birds and their habitats in Ireland. It was formerly known as the Irish Wildbird Conservancy (IWC). Irish Wildbird Conservancy was f ...

) in the early 1980s.

History

The island also has some signs of ancient human habitation, and it has attracted the interest of archaeologists.

References

Photo gallery

File:Puffin Island.jpg, Puffin Island from mainland File:Puffin Island - geograph.org.uk - 505985.jpg, Puffin Island and, in the distance to its left,

Valentia Island Valentia Island () is one of Ireland's most westerly points. It lies off the Iveragh Peninsula in the southwest of County Kerry. It is linked to the mainland by the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge at Portmagee. A car ferry also departs from ...

External links

* {{Use Irish English, date=May 2021 Islands of County Kerry Protected areas of County Kerry Marilyns of Ireland Uninhabited islands of Ireland Nature reserves in the Republic of Ireland Important Bird Areas of the Republic of Ireland Gaeltacht places in County Kerry