The Southwest Bylot plain is an uninhabited plain

Plain

In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...

 in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut

Nunavut

Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is located in southwestern Bylot Island

Bylot Island

Bylot Island lies off the northern end of Baffin Island in Nunavut Territory, Canada. At it is ranked 71st largest island in the world and Canada's 17th largest island. It is also one of the largest uninhabited islands in the world. While there are no permanent settlements on this Canadian Arctic...

 directly north of Eclipse Sound

Eclipse Sound

Eclipse Sound is a natural waterway through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago within Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It separates Bylot Island from Baffin Island . To the east, it opens into Baffin Bay via Pond Inlet, and to the north-west into the Navy Board Inlet....

. Pond Inlet

Pond Inlet, Nunavut

Pond Inlet is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada and is located at the top of Baffin Island. As of the 2006 census the population was 1,315, an increase of 7.8% from the 2001 census making it the largest of the four hamlets above the 72nd parallel...

 is the closest community. Southwest Bylot is notable for housing the largest known breeding colony of the Greater Snow Goose

Snow Goose

The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...

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Geography

The plain's habitat is characterized as a rolling outwash with barrens, rocky flats, and tundra. Its elevation reaches a height of 500 m (1,640.4 ft) above sea level

Above mean sea level

The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...

. The plain has been dissected by glacial rivers and it slopes towards the mountains.

Flora

Dominant vegetation includes low shrub-herb, and shrub-sedge tundra, along with heath and willow in the river valleys.

Fauna

In addition to the Greater Snow Goose, notable bird species include: Black-legged Kittiwake

Kittiwake

The kittiwakes are two closely related seabird species in the gull family Laridae, the Black-legged Kittiwake and the Red-legged Kittiwake . The epithets "Black-legged" and "Red-legged" are used to distinguish the two species in North America, but in Europe, where R...

, Ivory Gull

Ivory Gull

The Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea is a small gull, the only species in its genus. It breeds in the high arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia.-Taxonomy:...

, Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...

, Ross's Gull

Ross's Gull

The Ross's Gull is a small gull, the only species in its genus, although it has been suggested it should be moved to the genus Hydrocoloeus, which otherwise only includes the Little Gull....

, Thick-billed Murre

Brünnich's Guillemot

The Thick-billed Murre or Brünnich's Guillemot is a bird in the auk family . This bird is named after the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich...

, colonial

Bird colony

A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in close proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony...

 waterbird, and
waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

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Conservation

The Southwest Bylot plain is a Canadian Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

 (#NU013). It is 1511 km² (583.4 sq mi) in size and is situated within the Bylot Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Bylot Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary

The Bylot Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory bird sanctuary in Qikiqtaaluk, Nunavut, Canada. Located on Bylot Island, it was federally-designated on 1 January 1965, and is classified as Category IV by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.At 1,263,500 hectares, it is...

. It is one of three IBAs on the island, the others being Cape Graham Moore

Cape Graham Moore

thumb|right|200px|[[Kittiwake]]s at Cape Graham MooreCape Graham Moore is an uninhabited headland on Bylot Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located at the island's southeastern tip protruding into Lancaster Sound...

 and Cape Hay

Cape Hay

Cape Hay is an uninhabited headland on Bylot Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located at the island's northwestern tip, protruding into Lancaster Sound. The Wollaston Islands are offshore....

. Southwest Bylot is also an International Biological Program

International Biological Program

The International Biological Program was an effort between 1964 and 1974 to coordinate large-scale ecological and environmental studies...

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