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SH008
Gough Island
Location St Helena (to UK), Tristan da Cunha
Central coordinates 9o 56.00' West  40o 19.00' South
IBA criteria A1, A2, A4i, A4ii, A4iii
Area 6,500 ha
Altitude 0 - 910m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Table 2 for key species. The site has been described as ‘a strong contender for the title of most important seabird colony in the world’. As many as 54 bird taxa are recorded, of which 20 are non-breeding seabirds and two are endemic landbirds. The seabirds include Eudyptes chrysocome moseleyi (about 48% of world population), Diomedea e. dabbenena, D. chlororhynchos, Phoebetria fusca, Macronectes giganteus, Pterodroma brevirostris, P. macroptera, P. mollis, P. incerta, Pachyptila vittata, Procellaria cinerea, Puffinus gravis, P. assimilis, Garrodia nereis, Pelagodroma marina, Fregetta grallaria, Pelecanoides urinatrix (>20,000 pairs), Catharacta antarctica, Sterna vittata and Anous stolidus. The terrestrial species are Gallinula comeri and Rowettia goughensis (1,000 pairs, 1993 estimate).Non-breeding visitors include Diomedea melanophris, Macronectes halli, Fulmarus glacialoides, Daption capense, Pachyptila desolata, Procellaria a. aequinoctialis, Puffinus griseus, Oceanites oceanicus, Fregetta tropica, Bubulcus ibis and Larus dominicanus.

Site description The site comprises the whole of Gough Island as well as the offshore islets and stacks, as described in the ‘General introduction’.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi breeding  1993  144,235 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Endangered 
Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena breeding  1999  1,000-1,500 breeding pairs  good  A1, A4ii  Critically Endangered 
Sooty Albatross Phoebetria fusca breeding  1993  5,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Endangered 
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos breeding  1993  5,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Endangered 
Broad-billed Prion Pachyptila vittata breeding  1993  100,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Kerguelen Petrel Lugensa brevirostris breeding  1993  20,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis breeding  1993  50,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta breeding  1993  20,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Endangered 
Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera breeding  1993  5,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea breeding  1993  10,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Near Threatened 
Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis breeding  1993  300,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Little Shearwater Puffinus assimilis breeding  1993  10,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Grey-backed Storm-petrel Garrodia nereis breeding  1993  10,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
White-faced Storm-petrel Pelagodroma marina breeding  1993  10,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
White-bellied Storm-petrel Fregetta grallaria breeding  1993  10,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Gough Moorhen Gallinula nesiotis resident  1993  2,500 breeding pairs  -  A1, A2, A4i  Vulnerable 
Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata breeding  1993  500 breeding pairs  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Southern Skua Stercorarius antarcticus breeding  1993  500 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Gough Bunting Rowettia goughensis resident  1998  3,000 individuals  medium  A1, A2  Critically Endangered 
A4iii Species group - seabirds breeding  1993  -  unknown  A4iii   

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Gough and Inaccessible Islands World Heritage Site 397,900 protected area contains site 6,500  
Gough Island Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) 229,811 protected area contains site 6,500  
Gough Island Wildlife Reserve 6,500 is identical to site 6,500  

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
fisheries/aquaculture -
nature conservation and research -
tourism/recreation -

Other biodiversity Arctocephalus tropicalis (200,000 individuals and increasing) and Mirounga leonina (about 100 individuals) are the only two native breeding mammals. Of 100 free-living species of terrestrial invertebrates recorded, at least eight are endemic, while 14 are native to the Dependency as a whole. Only eight species of freshwater invertebrates are known.

Management considerations In 1976 Gough Island was declared a Wildlife Reserve and in 1997 it was renamed a Nature Reserve and its boundaries were extended to 12 nautical miles. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1995. Principal threats include unlicensed fishing within the reserve, the illegal use of drift-nets, pollution from the meteorological station (now minimal), pollutants from vessels passing through territorial waters, the introduction of alien organisms (especially mammalian predators, the main threat), fires and disturbance.

Further web sources of information 

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) species/site profile. This site has been identified as an AZE due to it containing a Critically Endangered or Endangered species with a limited range.

Click here for more information about the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE)

Related state of the world's birds case studies

Contribute  Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gough Island. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife