Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4ii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 500 ha
Site description (2015 baseline)
Dawson-Lambton Glacier flows into the southeastern Weddell Sea at the southwestern margin of the Brunt Ice Shelf, on the Caird Coast, Coats Land. An Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colony breeds on fast ice that forms in the Weddell Sea near the Dawson-Lambton-Glacier.
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Emperor Penguin colony present at the site and is entirely marine.
The nearest permanent station is Halley VI (GBR), ~50 km to the north on Brunt Ice Shelf.
Key biodiversity
The colony near the Dawson-Lambton Glacier was discovered in 1987 during an aerial survey by Hempel & Stonehouse (1987), who estimated 11 700 chicks were present. No photographs were taken so the estimate could not be verified. Analysis of a satellite image acquired 13 Oct 2009 (Fretwell et al. 2012) indicated 2597 Emperor Penguins were present at the colony. No other birds are known to breed in the area.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dawson-Lambton Glacier (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dawson-lambton-glacier-iba-antarctica on 27/11/2024.