Noss was designated a national nature reserve in 1955, and is managed by NatureScot. The island is renowned for its seabird colonies and is one of the more accessible of the internationally important seabird colonies in the North Atlantic. The sandstone cliffs of Noss have weathered into a series of horizontal ledges making ideal breeding grounds for gannets, puffins, guillemots, shags, black-legged kittiwakes, razorbills, fulmars and great skuas. The species profile has changed considerably over the last 100 years, with dramatic increases in some species and population crashes in others. Four new species have begun to breed here (gannet, fulmar, great skua and storm petrel), however a further six species that were formerly recorded (lesser black-backed gull, common gull, tree sparrow, Eurasian whimbrel, peregrine falcon and white-tailed eagle) no longer breed at Noss. In total 201 bird species have been recorded: in addition to the many seabirds several species of waders also breed here, including dunlin, snipe, oystercatcher and ringed plover. Other breeding bird species include skylark, meadow pipit, rock pipit and wheatear.