Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4iii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 51 hectares (0.51 km2)
Site description (2015 baseline)
Maher Island lies ~10 km north of the northwestern coast of Siple Island, Marie Byrd Land. The island is shaped like a horseshoe, ~1 km across, and is mostly ice free in summer.
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises all of Maher Island.
There are no research stations nearby. The closest permanent stations are McMurdo Station (USA) and Scott Base (NZL), located ~1770 km to the southwest in the southern Ross Sea.
Key biodiversity
Approximately 10 111 breeding pairs (95% CI: 5993, 16 618) of Adélie Penguin were present on Maher Island as estimated from February 2011 satellite imagery (Lynch & LaRue 2014). No other birds are known to breed in the area.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Maher Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/maher-island-iba-antarctica on 27/12/2024.