The Brothers Islands (44592)
New Zealand, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: The Brothers Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: -41.1033, Longitude: 174.4418
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 66
Area of KBA (km2): 0.12083
Protected area coverage (%): 32.05
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: G. Taylor (pers. com.) notes that the islands are ‘covered’ in Common Diving Petrels and Fairy Prions plus White-fronted Terns and gulls, also tuatara. They have always been rat-free and are two of the 67 islands >5ha around New Zealand that are near-pristine. Southern Brothers, the larger of the two islands, has hardly ever be landed on but is densely covered in seabirds. It is therefore highly likely that >10,000 pairs of seabirds breed on the two islands . For these reasons The Broth-ers Islands have been proposed as an IBA for both bird and biodiversity values. Besides the trigger species the following are confirmed or likely to be breeding or resident: Little Penguin, Fluttering Shearwater, Fairy Prion, Common Diving Petrel, Welcome Swallow, Hedge Sparrow, NZ Pipit, Starling. Other species recorded: Pied Shag, King Shag, White-faced Heron, Australasian Harrier, Variable Oystercatcher, Southern Black-backed Gull, Red-billed Gull, White-fronted Tern, Skylark, Blackbird, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, House Sparrow.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 14 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 29 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 29 | |
| Shrubland | 29 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Human disturbance – No (Entry is by permit only) Predation by alien species – No (The islands' natural defences - ie. steep cliffs, with often wild seas and strong currents in surrounding waters - make invasion by alien species difficult. Islands have always been rat-free. Habitat loss or degradation – No Contamination – No Natural disaster – No Parasite or pathogen - No Other – No
Additional information
References: Gaston, A.J., Scofield, P. 1995. Birds and tuatara on North Brother Island, Cook Strait, New Zealand. Notornis 42: 27-41