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Site description (2015 baseline)

Lagotellerie Island lies in eastern Marguerite Bay ~3.5 km west of Horseshoe Island. The steeply sloping island is ice-free in summer, is ~2 km in length and rises to a maximum elevation of 288 m. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Imperial Shag ( Phalacrocorax [ atriceps ] bransfieldensis ) and South Polar Skua ( Catharacta maccormicki ) colonies present and is defined by the boundary of ASPA No. 115: Lagotellerie Island, which is designated partly for the avifauna present.

The nearest permanent scientific station is San Martín (ARG) located approximately 30 km to the southeast.

Key biodiversity

Approximately 270 breeding pairs of Imperial Shag were recorded in a nest count in 2012 (Casanovas et al . in press). Approximately 250 Imperial Shag adults and chicks were recorded in Feb 2011 (ASPA No. 115 Management Plan, 2012). The colony is located at the eastern extremity of the island close to breeding Adélie Penguins ( Pygoscelis adeliae ). The Adélie Penguin colony comprised ~1720 pairs in 1982 (Poncet & Poncet 1987). A survey carried out in late Feb 2001 reported 547 live Adélie Penguin chicks (although ~1474 chicks had recently died) (Harris 2001). A substantial increase was reported recently, with 7482 breeding pairs recorded in an accurate count in 2012/13 (Casanovas et al . in press).

In Feb 2001 Harris (2001) recorded 81 breeding pairs of South Polar Skua on the northern coast of Lagotellerie Island (plus ~60 non-breeders), 10 Kelp Gull ( Larus dominicanus ) chicks, and several Snow Petrels ( Pagodroma nivea ) and Wilson's Storm-petrels ( Oceanites oceanicus ) were seen (one nest of the latter was confirmed). Old records reported Brown Skua ( Catharacta antarctica ) present on Lagotellerie Island, although this observation was made in 1956 (ASPA No. 115 Management Plan, 2012).

Non-bird biodiversity: A survey carried out in Feb 2001 recorded 44 Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) hauled out on the northern coast, three Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) and two Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) (Harris 2001). More recently, ~200 Antarctic Fur Seals and 20 Weddell Seals were observed on the island in Feb 2011 (ASPA No. 115 Management Plan, 2012).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lagotellerie Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lagotellerie-island-iba-antarctica on 22/12/2024.