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TF002
Île de l'Est
Location French Southern Territories, Îles Crozet
Central coordinates 52o 10.00' East  46o 25.00' South
IBA criteria A1, A2, A4i, A4ii, A4iii
Area 13,000 ha
Altitude 0 - 1,090m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box for key species. In addition, numbers of Pterodroma lessonii, Anas eatoni and Chionis minor are believed to exceed thresholds, but no quantitative data are available. This island holds the most diverse community of seabirds in the world: 32 species, of which 19 are hole-nesting petrels. Many are believed to number tens of thousands of pairs. Three taxa are particularly abundant, Pelecanoides georgicus, P. urinatrix and Pachyptila salvini salvini. Estimates of the population sizes of each are of several million pairs which, in the case of P. s. salvini, represents 80% of its global population. The site is also home to 350 pairs of Diomedea melanophris.

Site description Île de l’Est is, as its name suggests, the easternmost island of the Crozet archipelago. It is also the most mountainous, reaching 1,090 m, with a coastline of high cliffs. Several steep-sided valleys of glacial origin cut across the island, in three of which rabbits occur, the only introduced animal species. Otherwise, the landscape is mainly mountainous bare rock. There is no human presence or infrastructure on the island, which is only rarely visited by research scientists.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Eaton's Pintail Anas eatoni resident  1984  present [units unknown]  -  A2  Vulnerable 
King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus breeding  1984  100,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua breeding  1984  2,000-9,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Near Threatened 
Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi breeding  1984  93,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Endangered 
Macaroni Penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus breeding  1984  200,000-900,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Vulnerable 
Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans breeding  1984  329 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Vulnerable 
Sooty Albatross Phoebetria fusca breeding  1984  1,300 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Endangered 
Light-mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata breeding  1984  900-1,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Near Threatened 
Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophrys breeding  1984  350 breeding pairs  unknown  A1  Endangered 
Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma breeding  1984  3,750 breeding pairs  -  A1,A4ii  Vulnerable 
Southern Giant-petrel Macronectes giganteus breeding  1984  323 breeding pairs  -    Least Concern 
Northern Giant-petrel Macronectes halli breeding  1984  190 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Least Concern 
Blue Petrel Halobaena caerulea breeding  1984  20,000-90,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Medium-billed Prion Pachyptila salvini breeding  1984  1,000,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur breeding  1984  20,000-90,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Kerguelen Petrel Lugensa brevirostris breeding  1984  20,000-90,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Soft-plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis breeding  1984  20,000-90,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Great-winged Petrel Pterodroma macroptera breeding  1984  20,000-90,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis breeding  1984  20,000-90,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Vulnerable 
Grey Petrel Procellaria cinerea breeding  1984  2,000-9,000 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4ii  Near Threatened 
Wilson's Storm-petrel Oceanites oceanicus breeding  1984  20,000-90,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Grey-backed Storm-petrel Garrodia nereis breeding  1984  200-900 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Black-bellied Storm-petrel Fregetta tropica breeding  1984  2,000-9,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
South Georgia Diving-petrel Pelecanoides georgicus breeding  1984  1,000,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Common Diving-petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix breeding  1984  2,000,000-3,000,000 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 
Imperial Shag Phalacrocorax atriceps breeding  1984  110-120 breeding pairs  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Kerguelen Tern Sterna virgata breeding  1984  110 breeding pairs  -  A1, A4i  Near Threatened 
Southern Skua Stercorarius antarcticus breeding  1984  200-900 breeding pairs  -  A4ii  Least Concern 

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
nature conservation and research -
not utilised -

Other biodiversity The island is home to the largest population of the mammal Mirounga leonina in the archipelago. Orcinus orca (LR/cd) occur in coastal waters. There is no information on fur seals Arctocephalus spp. Three endemic plant and 59 endemic arthropod species occur.

Management considerations The whole island is an ‘Area restricted to scientific and technical research’ to which access is limited. It is also a proposed Nature Reserve. Bird populations, unlike the vegetation, seem little affected by the presence of rabbits. There is a real risk of the accidental introduction of rats.

References Despin et al. (1972), Jouventin and Micol (1992), Jouventin et al. (1984, 1988, 1996), Weimerskirch and Jouventin (1987, 1997), Weimerskirch et al. (1999).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Île de l'Est. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 23/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife