Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
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.
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.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
A small number of tourists visit Franklin Island by ship. Over 5 seasons from 2009–14 an average of 147 tourists and guides visited the island per year. Most visitors landed, except in 2012/13 when only 56 of the total of 132 visitors landed (IAATO Tourism Statistics, accessed: 15/12/2014).
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.
