Dunøyane
Encyclopedia
Dunøyane is a group of islands north of Hornsund
, outside Wedel Jarlsberg Land
at the western coast of Spitsbergen
, Svalbard
. The island group is a nest
ing site for Barnacle Goose
, Common Eider
and Arctic Tern
. Hunters used to collect eiderdown
at the islands. Dunøyane are included in the Dunøyane Bird Sanctuary
, and part of the Sør-Spitsbergen National Park
.
Hornsund
Hornsund is a fjord on the western side of the southernmost tip of Spitsbergen island.The fjord's mouth faces west to the Greenland Sea, and is 12 km wide. The length is 30 kilometres, the mean depth is 90 metres, and the maximal depth is 260 metres...
, outside Wedel Jarlsberg Land
Wedel Jarlsberg Land
Wedel Jarlsberg Land is the land area between Van Keulenfjorden and Hornsund on the southwestern part of Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The area is largely covered with glaciers, and is completely within the Sør-Spitsbergen National Park. Wedel Jarlsberg Land is named after Baron Fritz Wedel Jarlsberg....
at the western coast of Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
, Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
. The island group is a nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
ing site for Barnacle Goose
Barnacle Goose
The Barnacle Goose belongs to the genus Branta of black geese, which contains species with largely black plumage, distinguishing them from the grey Anser species...
, Common Eider
Common Eider
The Common Eider, Somateria mollissima, is a large sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters somewhat farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on...
and Arctic Tern
Arctic Tern
The Arctic Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America...
. Hunters used to collect eiderdown
Down feather
The down of birds is a layer of fine feathers found under the tougher exterior feathers. Very young birds are clad only in down. Powder down is a specialized type of down found only in a few groups of birds. Down is a fine thermal insulator and padding, used in goods such as jackets, bedding,...
at the islands. Dunøyane are included in the Dunøyane Bird Sanctuary
Dunøyane Bird Sanctuary
Dunøyane Bird Sanctuary is a bird reserve at Svalbard, Norway, established in 1973. It includes islands west of the strait Dunøysundet in Wedel Jarlsberg Land. The protected area covers a total of around 11.9 km2....
, and part of the Sør-Spitsbergen National Park
Sør-Spitsbergen National Park
Sør-Spitsbergen National Park lies on south end of Spitsbergen island in the Svalbard archipelago, Norway. The park was opened in 1973 and includes Wedel Jarlsberg Land, Torell Land and Sørkapp Land. Over 65% of the region is covered with glacier or permanent ice and snow.-References:...
.