Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Ambush Bay is situated on the northern coast of Joinville Island, southeast of King Point. It is ~ 6 km long and 4 km wide.
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (
Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises all of the ice free ground on the eastern side of the bay.
The summer-only station Petrel (ARG) is located 54 km to the southwest on Dundee Island and the year-round station Esperanza (ARG) and summer only station Elichiribehety (URY) is situated 86 km to the southwest in Hope Bay
Approximately 17 621 breeding pairs (95% CI: 10 630, 28 934) of Adélie Penguin were present at the eastern coast of Ambush Bay as estimated from December 2011 satellite imagery (Lynch & LaRue 2014). The penguins breed along the beach on the ice free ground. A breeding colony was reported here in 1978, although no census was made (Elliott
et al. 1978). No other birds are known to breed in the area.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
None known.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ambush Bay, Joinville Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ambush-bay-joinville-island-iba-antarctica on 22/12/2024.
