Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4iii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 184 ha
Site description (2015 baseline)
Mount Elder (~940 m) is located at southwestern Elephant Island. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)) and comprises a low-lying ice-free shoreline extending 4 km along the coastline, ~4 km east of Mount Elder
No information is available pertaining to the environment specific the area of the IBA. See ANT032 for more information on the general features, vegetation and meteorology of Elephant Island.
There are no research stations in the vicinity, with the nearest ~200 km to the southwest at King George Island.
Key biodiversity
Approximately 14 960 pairs of Chinstrap Penguin were breeding in two main groups at this site in 1971 (Croxall & Kirkwood 1979). Approximately 10 810 pairs were breeding at the northern site and 4150 pairs in the south.
See IBA ANT032 for information on other birds observed in the Elephant Island area.
Non-bird biodiversity: Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) and Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) have been recorded at other locations on Elephant Island (Naveen & Lynch 2011).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mount Elder, Elephant Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mount-elder-elephant-island-iba-antarctica on 24/11/2024.