Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Kartografov Island (Cartographers Island) and Mount Archer are situated about half-way between Williamson Head and the Matusevich Glacier Tongue, which lie about 18 km apart on the coast of Oates Land. Kartografov Island is around 500 m across, and serves with Williamson Head in the east to enclose Harald Bay. Mount Archer is around 3 km across and its height is not known.
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (
Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises the lower eastern extremity of Mount Archer and all of Kartografov Island, including the intervening marine area.
There are no research stations nearby. The closest permanent stations are Mario Zucchelli (ITA) and Jang Bogo (KOR), ~650 km to the southeast in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea.
Approximately 21 033 breeding pairs (95% CI 12 559, 34 257) of Adélie Penguin were present on the lower eastern slopes of Mount Archer and on Kartografov Island as estimated from February 2012 satellite imagery (Lynch & LaRue 2014). These authors refer to this site as ‘Harald Bay'. The majority of penguins appear to breed at the eastern extremity of Mount Archer, with smaller groups occupying Kartografov Island. 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: Kartografov Island / Mount Archer (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kartografov-island--mount-archer-iba-antarctica on 27/11/2024.
