Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4ii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 419 hectares (4.19 km2)
Site description (2015 baseline)
Bernacchi Head lies at the south of Franklin Island, located in the southern Ross Sea ~150 km east of the Victoria Land coast and ~140 km north of Ross Island. Franklin Island is of volcanic origin and mostly covered by permanent ice, and is ~12 km long and up to ~5 km wide. Cliffs rise up to 200 m high along the northern, eastern and southwestern coasts (Brodie 1959).
A colony of Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) breeds on sea ice that forms close off the eastern coast of Bernacchi Head. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Emperor Penguin colony present and is entirely marine.
The nearest permanent scientific stations are McMurdo (USA) and Scott Base (NZL), situated ~200 km to the southwest on Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island.
Key biodiversity
The population of Emperor Penguins ranged from ~1500 – ~5000 breeding pairs in the period 1983 – 2005 (Barber-Meyer et al. 2007, 2008). Analysis of a satellite image acquired 13 Oct 2009 (Fretwell et al. 2012) indicated that approximately 7561 Emperor Penguins were present at the colony.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bernacchi Head, Franklin Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bernacchi-head-franklin-island-iba-antarctica on 25/12/2024.