Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4iii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 57 hectares (0.57 km2)
Site description (2015 baseline)
Saddleback Point is located on the northern coast of Elephant Island. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)) and comprises an ice free headland extending ~1 km offshore, several km to the west of Point Wild.
No information is available on the environment specific to the area around Saddleback Point. 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 ~205 km to the southwest at King George Island.
Key biodiversity
Approximately 10 250 pairs of Chinstrap Penguin were recorded breeding at Saddleback Point in 1971 (Croxall & Kirkwood 1979).
See IBA ANT032 for information on other birds observed in the Elephant Island area.
Non-bird biodiversity: Naveen (2003) reported that Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) and Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) regularly haul-out on rocky beaches at Point Wild, 2 km to the east of Saddleback Point.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Saddleback Point, Elephant Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/saddleback-point-elephant-island-iba-antarctica on 27/12/2024.