Breeding Ground of Sea Birds (Black Wood Pigeon and Streaked Shearwater) on Sasudo Island, Jeju

Sasudo Island lies about 20 km from Chujado Island in Bukjeju-gun, Jeju Island. Its coastline is almost entirely rocky cliff, and nine species of evergreen broad-leaved tree, including camellia and Machilus, form a forest cover on the island. Black wood pigeons nest in the branches of the Machilus trees, while streaked shearwaters dig burrows in the ground beneath the trees to breed. The black wood pigeon is a rare resident bird found in Korea, southern Japan and China, with a body length of about 40 cm. Its whole body is a glossy black, its beak is a pale grey and its legs are red, with males and females looking alike. In Korea it lives in Machilus forests on islands and feeds mainly on fruit and other plant matter. The streaked shearwater breeds along the coasts and islands of Korea, Japan and China, and winters further south in places such as the Philippines. Its head and back are a blackish grey, its face, neck and belly are white, its head carries many white spots, and its beak is a whitish grey, with males and females looking alike; its body length is about 48 cm. By day it gathers in flocks far out at sea, returning to its breeding ground after sunset. It lays its eggs in tunnel-like burrows dug into coastal cliffs and on flat ground inland, and feeds mainly on fish, squid and marine plants. The seabird breeding ground on Sasudo Island is a habitat of the rare resident black wood pigeon, and it is also one of the places in Korea where the largest number of streaked shearwaters lay their eggs and breed, giving it great academic value; it has accordingly been designated and protected as a natural monument. Sasudo Island is currently designated a restricted-access area to protect the seabird breeding ground, and anyone wishing to enter for management or academic purposes must first obtain permission from the Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service.

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Where it is

Region

Jeju City, Jeju

Designation

Natural Monument · 천연기념물