Nearest city Inuvik Area 620 km² Established 1961 | Governing body Parks Canada Phone +1 800-668-6767 Management Parks Canada | |
Location Northwest Territories, Canada Address Inuvik, Unorganized, NT, Canada | ||
The Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary (KIBS) is a migratory bird sanctuary in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on Kendall Island and its surrounding area in Mackenzie Bay at the northern tip of the Mackenzie River Delta. A seasonal sanctuary for more than 60,000 shorebirds. it is one of five bird sanctuaries within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. The area that is now known as the KIBS is a traditional Inuvialuit whaling site.
Contents
The KIBS was established in 1961 to protect the breeding colony of lesser snow geese. The IUCN Category IV site area is 609 km2 (235 sq mi) of which 197 km2 (76 sq mi) make up the marine portion which have marine and intertidal marine components, but not subtidal. Part of the Mackenzie River Delta, a key migratory bird terrestrial habitat site (NT Site 12), is located within the KIBS.
Geography
Several hills in the KIBS have upland terrain that has remained above water level since glaciation. The ground in these hills is covered by sand or glacial till.
Wildlife
KIBS is frequented from May through October by more than 90 bird species, including many migrating waterfowl. Compared to other Key Habitat Sites in Northern Canada, particularly high densities of Arctic tern, greater white-fronted goose, loon, northern pintail, and sandhill crane frequent the area. Tundra swan concentrate around the outer section of the MBS. A colony of approximately 3000 lesser snow geese have been identified at KIBS, as well as nationally significant numbers of Hudsonian godwit and whimbrel. The short-eared owl, a Species at Risk Act-listed bird, has been records at KIBS, as well as grizzly bear, polar bear and wolverine, which are listed species by Canada's Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife, and the highly endangered Eskimo curlew. The Lapland longspur appears to be avoiding the KIBS because of seismic lines and drilling pads brought on by natural gas exploration.