Sheep Island is an uninhabited island off the north coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, close to Ballintoy.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Sheep_Island_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2208.jpg/220px-Sheep_Island_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2208.jpg)
The island has an area of 3.5 hectares, and is located 0.5 km off the coast. It is known for its steep cliffs (one of which is near-vertical and more than 20m in height) and rocky shores. The top of the island is domed and covered with soil.[1][2]
The island has a registered owner. It is designated as a Special Protection Area and an Area of Special Scientific Interest[2] because it contains a number of a particular species of cormorant, which is known as Phalacrocorax carbo carbo.[3] This population amounts to more than 5% of the population in the whole of Ireland.[4] The island also hosts shag, fulmar, kittiwake, greater black-backed gull, razorbill, black guillemot and guillemot.[3]
References
edit- ^ JNCC entry
- ^ a b SPA entry Archived 2014-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b ASSI entry Archived 2014-06-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ VAM entry Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
External links
edit55°14′54″N 6°21′07″W / 55.24833°N 6.35194°W