Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information 

Potter Peninsula supports a diverse range of avifauna, with 14,554 pairs of Adélie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) recorded breeding in the 1988-89 season (Aguirre, 1995), most being at Stranger Point (ASPA No. 132 Management Plan, 2005). Aguirre (1995) also recorded 2325 pairs of Gentoo Penguins (P. papua) and 265 pairs of Chinstrap Penguins (P. antarctica) breeding in the summer of 1988-89. South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) breed at the site, with 63 breeding pairs in 2002 (Ritz et al. 2006). In 1998, 46 pairs of Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteusi) were recorded breeding on Potter Peninsula (Hahn et al. 1998). In addition, between 1400 and 2300 breeding pairs of Wilson’s Storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) are estimated, although this count includes nests located on southern slopes of Three Brother’s Hill which lies just outside the boundary of the ASPA and IBA.

Other confirmed breeders include Cape Petrel (Daption capense), Black-bellied Storm-petrel (Fregetta tropica), Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax atriceps), Greater Sheathbill (Chionis alba), Brown Skua (Catharacta lonnbergi), hybrid Skuas (Catharacta sp.), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) and Antarctic Tern (Sterna vittata) (Hahn et al. 1998).

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protection status ASPA No.132

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Potter Peninsula, King George Island. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013

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