Steep Island, Australia facts for kids
Steep Island, also known as Steep Head, is a small island located in Bass Strait. This strait is a sea that separates mainland Australia from Tasmania. Steep Island is part of Tasmania’s Hunter Island Group, which is a collection of islands found between north-west Tasmania and King Island.
The island is about 21.6 hectares in size. That's roughly the same area as 40 football fields! Steep Island was once used for grazing sheep. However, ownership of the island has now been given to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. It is mainly used for muttonbirding, which involves collecting young short-tailed shearwater birds. There are an estimated 250,000 burrows (underground nests) for these birds on the island.
Animals of Steep Island
Steep Island is a very important place for birds. It is part of the Hunter Island Group Important Bird Area. This means it's recognized as a special spot for many different types of birds.
Many kinds of seabirds and shorebirds come to Steep Island to breed and raise their young. These include:
- little penguins, which are the smallest penguins in the world.
- short-tailed shearwaters, famous for their long migrations.
- common diving-petrels, small seabirds that dive for food.
- Pacific gulls and silver gulls, common types of gulls.
- sooty oystercatchers, shorebirds with long, bright orange beaks.
- black-faced cormorants, diving birds that catch fish.
Unfortunately, tiger snakes have been brought to the island. These snakes can be a danger to the breeding seabirds.
