March IBA of the Month: Monkey Island

Walker Golder

Great Egret

Monkey Island is a remote natural island located in the middle of Currituck Sound. It is North Carolina's northernmost wading bird colony and the only such colony in Currituck Sound. Monkey Island has long supported a large colony of wading birds. This IBA is home to Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Tricolored Herons, Cattle Egrets, and Glossy Ibis. 

The island was once the site of the Monkey Island Hunting Club, whose building remains standing. Approximately half of the island is forest dominated by pine, live oak, red cedar, and yaupon. The island is surrounded by a wooden bulkhead that protects it from erosion. However, the bulkhead is in need of repair: it has collapsed in many places, and in those places the shore is eroding. One conservation issue on Monkey Island is human disturbance, which can result in egg or chick loss, nest abandonment, and colony abandonment.

Read more about this IBA on the Audubon NC blog.