Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4ii, A4iii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 51 ha
Site description (2015 baseline)
Pottinger Point is a low-lying ice-free promontory extending ~500 m on the northern coast of King George Island, between Stigant Point and False Round Point, and 2 km southeast of Kellick Island. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) colony present and comprises all of the ice-free ground at Pottinger Point.
The nearest permanent scientific station is Comandante Ferraz (Brazil) which operates year-round on the northern shoreline of Admiralty Bay, located ~17 km to south, and which accommodates a maximum of ~40 people in the summer (COMNAP, Antarctic Facilities, accessed 24/08/2010).
Key biodiversity
Approximately 55 861 breeding pairs of Chinstrap Penguin were present at Pottinger Point in 1980 (Jablonski 1984). Shuford & Spear (1988b) reported an estimated 75 000 to 100 000 breeding pairs in January 1987. The colony at Pottinger Point is one of the largest in the South Shetland Islands. Information on other bird species in the area is not available.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Pottinger Point, King George Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/pottinger-point-king-george-island-iba-antarctica on 25/11/2024.