Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Princess Ragnhild Coast lies in Dronning Maud Land, south of the Riiser-Larsen Sea. An Emperor Penguin (
Aptenodytes forsteri) colony has been observed on fast ice that forms within a crack in the ice shelf at Princess Ragnhild Coast ~230 km west of Riiser-Larsen Peninsula.
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Emperor Penguin colony present and is entirely marine.
There are no research stations nearby. The closest permanent station is Princess Elisabeth Station (BEL) situated 250 km to the southwest at Utsteinen Nunatak, Sør-Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land.
Analysis of a satellite image acquired 10 Oct 2009 (Fretwell
et al. 2012) indicated that approximately 6870 Emperor Penguins were present at the colony. The colony was recorded for the first time by Fretwell
et al. (2012). It was then visited for the first time in December 2012, when ~9000 adults and chicks were counted, and two further visits have subsequently been made in December 2013 (~15 000 adults and chicks) and 2014 (~20 000 adults and chicks) (International Polar Foundation 2015).
Other non-breeding bird species observed at the colony include the Adélie Penguin (
Pygoscelis adeliae) and South Polar Skua (
Catharacta maccormicki).
Non-bird biodiversity: Leopard Seals (
Hydrurga leptonyx) have been observed near the colony.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
None known. The site is very remote, difficult to access and rarely visited.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Princess Ragnhild Coast (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/princess-ragnhild-coast-iba-antarctica on 18/12/2024.
