Editing Coll (section)

==Wildlife==
[[File:Corncrake, near Arnabost - geograph.org.uk - 1342580.jpg|thumb|A corncrake, near Arnabost]]

There is an extensive [[RSPB]] reserve towards the west end of the island.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/c/coll/index.asp| publisher=RSBP| title=Guide to Coll| access-date=2008-01-06}}</ref> One of the main attractions is the rare [[corncrake]], as well as [[Skylarks]].<ref name="a644">{{cite web | title=Coll Nature Reserve, Argyll & Bute, Scotland | website=The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)  | date=2023-05-25 | url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/coll | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> Traditional local farming practices have helped this once common British bird to survive.

In the 1970s, scientists released [[sand lizards]] on Coll.<ref name="r746">{{cite web | title=Scotland’s Secret Lizards | website=Froglife | date=2022-02-28 | url=https://www.froglife.org/2022/02/28/scotlands-secret-lizards/ | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> There is also a small population of sand lizards, as much of 39 individuals were introduced by scientists to test whether they can survive so far north in the 1970s and are still thriving today.

In 2010, a colony of [[Meloe brevicollis|short-necked oil beetles]] was found on the island. The beetle, thought to be extinct in the UK, is now known only to occur in southern England and Coll. It is parasitic on ground-dwelling bees, and is also flightless, raising the question of how it arrived on the island. It does not appear to be found on neighbouring [[Tiree]], possibly because of a difference in terrain. Modern farming methods had partly caused its demise elsewhere.<ref>Ross, John (16 July 2010) [http://news.scotsman.com/news/Beetle-mania-as-39extinct39-insect.6423196.jp "Beetle mania as 'extinct' insect found on Scots isle"]. ''[[The Scotsman]]''. Retrieved 19 July 2010.

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