DISTRIBUTION AND FLOATING POPULATION OF BIRDS ON PENGUIN ISLAND, SOUTH SHETLANDS, ANTARCTICA

Abstract

Knowledge on the abundance and distribution of birds is extremely important for the assessment of potential population uctuations of species and for how such uctuations may a ect their conservation. is study aims to perform the mapping of breeding and distribution of species that nested on Penguin Island (62o06’15’’S; 57o55’30’’W) in 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, as well as to assess the abundance of breeding pairs for each species and compare these data with those of previous studies. e location of breeding groups of birds nesting on the site was geo-referenced with the assistance of a GPS receiver. e data collected were processed in the ArcGIS so ware program to draw a map with the distribution and breeding areas for each species. A census of breeding pairs for the summers of 2011/12 and 2012/13 was also conducted. We recorded 6618 breeding pairs of Pygoscelis antarcticus on Penguin Island in 2011/12 and 4657 breeding pairs in 2012/13. Regarding Pygoscelis adeliae, 183 breeding pairs were observed in 2011/12. With respect to Macronectes giganteus, 138 breeding pairs were observed in 2011/12, whereas 418 pairs were recorded in 2012/13. Nests of the following species were also found Oceanites oceanicus, Chionis albus, Stercorarius lonnbergi, Larus dominicanus, and Sterna vitatta.