Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve

The reserve lies to the east of the Great Barrier Reef and covers an area of 8,860 km2, most of which is open water.

The pairs rise steeply from separate platform reef systems, each representing a distinct stage in reef formation, varying in size from 16 to 37 ha, and making a total land area of 124 ha.

Each cay has a fringing reef that is fully exposed to the influences of ocean currents and swells.

[2] The 124 ha land area of the cays has been recognised by BirdLife International as the Coringa-Herald Reefs IBA because of its importance as a breeding site for seabirds.

It supports over 1% of the world populations of wedge-tailed shearwaters, red-footed boobies, lesser frigatebirds, red-tailed tropicbirds and black noddies.