Birnie Island
Birnie Island
Latitude 3° 35′ 07.88″ S
Longitude 171° 31′ 03.19″ W
Birnie Island is a makatea, a plateau of raised coral reef, now dead. It is the smallest of the Phoenix Islands. The lagoon is a silted-up, saline mix of sand, bird dung, and sea water. Birnie was declared a bird sanctuary in June, 1938, while still part of the Gilbert & Ellice Islands Colony, and was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1975. Twenty-two bird species breed here. For further information: Birnie Island.