Current view: Text account
Site description (2023 baseline):
Site location and context
Cape Melville is a low-lying, ice-free headland at the eastern extremity of King George Island. The original IBA was larger because it qualified on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus) however now qualifies based on the large numbers of the bransfieldensis population of Imperial Shag (
Leucocarbo atriceps) present in part of the original site. This area does not include the entire ice-free area of the Melville Peninsula, and excludes the Cape Melville geological formation, as well as the plateau located at an elevation of more than 120 m. The nearest permanent scientific station is Comandante Ferraz (Brazil) ~43 km to the west in Admiralty Bay.
The site originally qualified (Harris et al. 2011) as an IBA because Woehler (1993) reported 16 278 breeding pairs of Chinstrap Penguin in the Cape Melville area, meeting the A4iii IBA criteria. In view of the considerable uncertainty and lack of recent and reliable data, it was concluded that the site does not qualify as an IBA and it was delisted in 2015 (Harris et al. 2015). An inventory of the area conducted with use of drone by Fudala and Bialik (2023) in December 2022, proved the presence of 458 nests of Antarctic Shag Leucocarbo atriceps (bransfieldensis population), which qualifies the site as an IBA under the criterion of B3a. Moreover, 4960 (+-19) chinstrap penguin (
Pygoscelis antarcticus) nests, at least 1 Kelp Gull (
Larus dominicanus) nest and about 50 foraging individuals of the Snowy Sheathbill (
Chionis albus) were also present in the colony area, with a high probability that they could be breeding individuals. At least one pair of Brown Skua (
Catharacta antarctica) was observed in the colony area while foraging.
Unfortunately, the inventory made by drone is not able to discern and enumerate Storm Petrel nests, because they are not surface nesting birds, but as the authors of the inventory suggest, that the steep and rocky slopes of Cape Melville have great potential for nesting for two species of Storm petrel: Wilson's Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) and Black-bellied Storm Petrel (Fregetta tropica).
Non-bird biodiversity: Vegetation in the area is limited to lichens. On the eastern shore of Cape Melville, accessible to pinnipeds, numerous Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina), Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) and Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) rest and moult (Fudala and Bialik personal communication).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
A potential threat could be helicopter landings on the Cape Melville peninsula plateau, recommendations should include avoiding flying over the Cape Melville bird aggregation; tourist activity from the level of vessel is hampered at the site due to difficult pontoon boat landing conditions.
There are currently no protected areas encompassing this site.
We would like to thank the authors of Fudala and Bialik (2023) for reaching out to us following their work here and highlighting the new found importance of this site for sea birds.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cape Melville, King George Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cape-melville-king-george-island-iba-antarctica on 23/12/2024.
