The uninhabited Payne Islands are an archipelago, members of the Arctic Archipelago and the Ungava Bay Archipelago, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. They are located in Payne Bay, a waterway in western Ungava Bay, just east of the Arnaud River (formerly the Payne River) and the community of Kangirsuk on Quebec's Ungava Peninsula.

Note: The Atlas of Canada does not recognise this appellation; presumably the Payne Islands are the islets of Nanuk, Agvik, and Akunok.

Geography

The islands have a hard granitic gneiss and a thin layer of soil. Their perimeter measures approximately 3 km (1.9 mi).

Flora

Their habitat includes lichen, moss, sedges, and low woody shrubs.

Fauna

Combined with the Plover Islands, the Payne Islands are a Canadian Important Bird Area (#NU027). Notable bird species include the common eider and colonial waterbirds/seabirds.[1]

The Payne Islands are a part of the Ungava Bay Archipelagoes, a Key Migratory Terrestrial Bird Site (NU Site 51).[2]

References

  1. ^ "Plover & Payne Islands". bsc-eoc.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  2. ^ "NU Site 51 - Ungava Bay Archipelagoes" (PDF). ngps.nt.ca. Retrieved 2009-05-09.[permanent dead link]

External links