Ynys Feurig
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Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Landscape processes: Coastal
Birds & fish recorded
Birds
| Species | Season |
|---|---|
| roseate tern | Breeding |
Description
Description The largest tern colony in Wales breeds on Ynys Feurig. In recent years the island has supported between 500 and 900 pairs of terns of four species during the breeding season. The tern species involved are: roseate, sandwich, common and arctic. The roseate tern colony is important in a European context, as it contains a significant proportion (around one quarter) of the N.W. Europe breeding population of this species. Ynys Feurig is made up of a series of islands forming a low ridge of almost vertically inclined rock strata extending almost half a mile out to sea and connected to the beach at its landward end for a period around each low tide. The outer island which is slightly higher than the others is partly vegetated, mainly with marram grass Ammophila arenaria, red fescue Festuca rubra and thrift Armeria maritima and many of the terns nest here.
Species mentioned
Show the 4 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| roseate tern | Sterna dougallii | CR (Breeding) | bird-tern | laridae |
| marram grass | Ammophila arenaria | LC | grass | poaceae |
| red fescue | Festuca rubra | LC | grass | poaceae |
| thrift | Armeria maritima | CR | herb | plumbaginaceae |
Insects to look out for
These moths, butterflies and beetles are known to feed on plants recorded at this site, and carry a notable UK conservation status — but a host-plant being present doesn't mean the insect has actually been recorded here. Treat this as "worth watching for," not a confirmed sighting.
| Species | Status | Via host-plant |
|---|---|---|
| Grayling Hipparchia semele |
Vulnerable | Ammophila arenaria, Festuca rubra |
| Grey chi Antitype chi |
Near Threatened | Armeria maritima |
| Small heath Coenonympha pamphilus |
Near Threatened | Festuca spp. |
| Rosy minor Litoligia literosa |
Near Threatened | Ammophila arenaria |
Host-plant data: Cook et al. (2025), Traits data for the butterflies and macro-moths of Great Britain and Ireland, 2024, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology / Butterfly Conservation; and Padovani et al. (2020), Database of Insects and their Food Plants (DBIF), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (both Open Government Licence). Contains data supplied by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.