Avian Island

Avian Island

Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location	Antarctica
Coordinates
Country
None
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited
Additional information
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System

Avian Island is an island, 1.2 km (0.7 mi) long and 40 metres (130 ft) high, lying close off the south tip of Adelaide Island, Antarctica. It was discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10, under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, and visited in 1948 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, who so named it because of the large number and variety of birds (avians) found there.

Birds

The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because it supports a large breeding colony of Adélie penguins (35,000 pairs), as well as imperial shags (670 pairs), south polar skuas (880 pairs), southern giant petrels (250 pairs), kelp gulls and Wilson's storm petrels. It also holds the southernmost record of breeding brown skuas. The island is protected as Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No.117 for its outstanding ornithological significance.

See also

• List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Avian Island" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).