Shek Ngau Chau (, formerly Gau Tau 㞗頭 - literally, "penis head rock") is an uninhabited island of Hong Kong within

Tai Po District Tai Po District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. The suburban district covers the areas of Tai Po New Town (including areas such as Tai Po Market, , Tai Po Industrial Estate, Tai Wo Estate), Tai Po Tau, Tai Po Kau, Hong Lok Yue ...

. It has an area of and is located in

Mirs Bay Mirs Bay (also known as Tai Pang Wan, Dapeng Wan, Dapeng Bay or Mers Bay; ) is a bay in the northeast of Kat O and Sai Kung Peninsula of Hong Kong. The north and east shores are surrounded by Yantian and Dapeng New District of Shenzhen. Ping ...

, in the north-east of the

New Territories The New Territories (N.T., Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: ) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of H ...

Buildings

The island features a light beacon, a pier, a one-storey hut and stairs to the peak. They were built by the Marine Department as aids to navigation.

Conservation

The island is the most important breeding ground for

tern Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae, subfamily Sterninae, that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated in eleven genera in a subgroup of the family Laridae, which also ...

s in Hong Kong. It was designated as a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

in 2005.

References

Uninhabited islands of Hong Kong Tai Po District {{NewTerritories-geo-stub