Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Danger Islands lie ~19 km southeast of Joinville Island, in the Erebus and Terror Gulf. Brash Island is ice-free and of low elevation, is around 1 km in length, and is the most westerly of the Danger Islands. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Pygoscelid penguin colony present and the concentration of seabirds.
The nearest permanent scientific station is Petrel (ARG), a summer-only facility for up to ~55 people (COMNAP, Antarctic Facilities, accessed 06/08/2010) located ~70 km to the east on Dundee Island.
A large number of Pygoscelid penguins are likely to breed on Brash Island. Lynch & Schwaller (2014) identified from satellite imagery a large penguin colony on Brash Island and estimated ~166 078 breeding pairs (95% CI 123 666, 228 268). The penguin species present has yet to be determined, although it is likely to be predominantly either Adélie (
Pygoscelis adeliae) or Chinstrap (
Pygoscelis antarctica) penguin.
Other birds thought to breed at Danger Islands include the Cape Petrel (
Daption capense), Snowy Sheathbill (
Chionis albus), Kelp Gull (
Larus dominicanus), Brown Skua (
Catharacta antarctica), Wilson's Storm-petrel (
Oceanites oceanicus) and Antarctic Tern (
Sterna vittata). Occasional visitors include Chinstrap Penguin (
Pygoscelis antarctica), Southern Giant Petrel (
Macronectes giganteus), Snow Petrel (
Pagodroma nivea), Imperial Shag (
Phalacrocorax [
atriceps]
bransfieldensis) and South Polar Skua (
Catharacta maccormicki) (Naveen & Lynch 2011).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Only a small number of tour vessels appear to frequent the Danger Islands, with an annual average of 237 visitors (passengers, staff and crew) to Heroína Island (IAATO Tourism Statistics 2005-10, accessed: 06/08/2010).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Brash Island, Danger Islands (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/brash-island-danger-islands-iba-antarctica on 23/12/2024.
