Kendall Island facts for kids

Kendall Island is a special place in the Canadian Arctic. It's an island that doesn't have any people living on it. It's found in the Northwest Territories, which is a part of Canada. This island is known for its unique shape and for being a very important home for many birds.

Kendall Island: Where Is It?

Kendall Island is located in a large area called Mackenzie Bay. This bay is right at the very end of the Mackenzie River, where the river flows into the ocean. It's part of a bigger group of islands called the Arctic Archipelago.

Island Neighbors

If you look southwest of Kendall Island, you'll find Richards Island. Another area called Kugmallit Bay is surrounded by Kendall Island, along with Garry Island and Pelly Island. The part of Kendall Island that faces northeast is higher than the rest.

Why Is Kendall Island Important?

Kendall Island is located within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This is a special area for the Inuvialuit people. The island is super important because it's home to the Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

A Safe Home for Birds

This sanctuary is a protected area. It's a vital spot for many kinds of birds, especially waterfowl (like ducks and geese) and shorebirds (birds that walk along the water's edge). These birds come to Kendall Island to have their babies. It's also a place where they can rest and refuel during their long journeys, before flying to other parts of the world.

Who Named Kendall Island?

The island was named by a famous explorer named John Franklin. He named it after Edward Nicholas Kendall. Edward Kendall was an English hydrographer. A hydrographer is someone who studies and maps out bodies of water, like oceans and rivers.

A Bird Scientist's Visit

A Canadian scientist who studied birds, named J. Dewey Soper, visited Kendall Island. He went there less than a year before he retired from his work.