Bull and Cow Rocks (596)
Ireland, Europe
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Bull and Cow Rocks
Central coordinates: Latitude: 51.5833, Longitude: -10.2833
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 60
Area of KBA (km2): 3.35752
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Two uninhabited rocky islets and surrounding waters, 6 km west of the Beara peninsula in south-west County Cork. There is a lighthouse on Bull Rock which is owned by Commissioners of Irish Lights. Cow Rock is publicly-owned.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: This site supports important breeding seabird colonies. Additional seabirds breeding in nationally important numbers include Phalacrocorax carbo (50 pairs, 1987), Rissa tridactyla (590 pairs, 1987) and Uria aalge (2,000 pairs, 1987).
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture (95%) | not utilised (5%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Marine Neritic | 95 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Fishing in surrounding waters may deplete the prey stock of seabirds, with implications for their breeding success. Isolation protects these islands from most threats. The site is a proposed Special Protection Area (Bull and Cow Rocks, 336 ha).