Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Depot Island is of roughly triangular in shape and situated ~200 m off the coast of Evans Piedmont Glacier, southern Victoria Land. It is situated ~ 4 km north of Cape Ross and ~ 10 km southeast of Tripp Island. The ice free island is ~ 0.3 km long and up to 0.3 km wide.
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the South Polar Skua (
Catharacta maccormicki) colony present at the site and comprises all of Depot Island.
The nearest permanent scientific stations are Scott Base (NZL) and McMurdo Station (USA) situated ~160 km to the southeast on Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island.
South Polar Skuas breed on Gregory Island, with ~72 breeding pairs estimated in 1982 (Ainley
et al. 1986). No recent information on the colony is available, and 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: Depot Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/depot-island-iba-antarctica on 22/12/2024.
