Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4iii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 31 hectares (0.31 km2)
Site description (2015 baseline)
A small unnamed point located 2.7 km southwest of Walker Point, on the southeastern coast of Elephant Island. The point has been unofficially referred to as ‘Chinstrap Camp' (Croxall & Kirkwood 1979; Furse 1979). The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)) and comprises all of the ice free area at this point.
No information is available on the environment specific to the point known as ‘Chinstrap Camp'. See ANT032 for more information on the general features, vegetation and meteorology of Elephant Island.
There are no research stations in the vicinity, with the nearest ~220 km southwest at King George Island.
Key biodiversity
Approximately 24 480 pairs of Chinstrap Penguin were breeding at ‘Chinstrap Camp' in 1971 (Croxall & Kirkwood 1979). See IBA ANT032 for information on other birds observed in the Elephant Island area.
Non-bird biodiversity: Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) and Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) have been recorded at other locations on Elephant Island (Naveen & Lynch 2011).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Point W of Walker Point, Elephant Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/point-w-of-walker-point-elephant-island-iba-antarctica on 27/12/2024.