Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Arthurson Ridge is an ice free outcrop that lies between Cook Ridge and McLeod Glacier in Davis Bay, Oates Land.
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (
Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises ice free ground along the coast of Davis Bay and extending onto the lower eastern slope of Arthurson Ridge.
There are no research stations nearby. The closest permanent stations are Mario Zucchelli (ITA) and Jang Bogo (KOR), ~620 km to the southwest in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea.
Approximately 14 461 breeding pairs (95% CI 8643, 23 880) of Adélie Penguins were present on Arthurson Ridge as estimated from March 2012 satellite imagery (Lynch & LaRue 2014). An Emperor Penguin (
Aptenodytes forsteri) colony is situated nearby in Davis Bay, although with only ~1745 breeding pairs (Fretwell
et al. 2012) it does not qualify as an IBA. 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: Arthurson Ridge (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/arthurson-ridge-iba-antarctica on 22/12/2024.
