AQ132
Kazak Island / Zolotov Island


Site description (2015 baseline):

Site location and context

Kazak Island and Zolotov Island are situated 1 km south of Hawker Island (ASPA No. 167) and 0.5 km west of Mule Peninsula, in Prydz Bay on the Ingrid Christensen Coast, Princess Elizabeth Land. Kazak Island is ~ 0.6 km long and 0.45 km wide and rises to ~20 m. Zolotov Island is ~ 1.4 km long and up to 1.2 km wide and rises to ~46 m. Several small lakes are present on Zolotov Island (Australian Antarctic Data Centre 2012).

The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colonies present and comprises all of Kazak Island and Zolotov Island and the intervening marine area.

The nearest permanent station is Davis (AUS), ~10 km to the northeast on Broad Peninsula, Vestfold Hills.


Key biodiversity

Whitehead & Johnstone (1990) estimated 5569 and 17 496 breeding pairs of Adélie Penguin on Kazak and Zolotov islands, respectively, in 1981/82. No recent census is available for the colonies. Breeding colonies occur along the western coast of Kazak Island, while on Zolotov Island extends from the northern to the southern coasts over the central part of the island.

Non-bird biodiversity: None known.


Pressure/threats to key biodiversity

None known.



Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kazak Island / Zolotov Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kazak-island--zolotov-island-iba-antarctica on 27/12/2024.