• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2015 baseline)

The Shackleton Ice Shelf extends ~350 km from Junction Corner in the west to Elliott Cape in the east on the Queen Mary Coast of Queen Mary Land. The ice shelf protrudes into the Davis Sea ~180 km in the west and ~80 km in the east.

The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colony present and includes part of the northwestern margin of the ice shelf on which they may on occasion breed, and the adjacent marine area.

Key biodiversity

Analysis of a satellite image acquired on 10 October 2009 (Fretwell et al. 2012) indicated that approximately 6471 Emperor Penguins were present at the colony. During 2008-10, the colony was located on the fast ice at the base of the ice shelf. However, the colony moved onto the ice shelf itself in 2011 and 2012 owing to unsuitable sea ice conditions. Access onto the ice shelf was gained through a gulley several km east of the main colony breeding areas (Fretwell et al. 2014). Guano staining on shelf ice and evidence of individual birds in high resolution satellite imagery indicated that the colony moved over an area of ~6 x 5 km on the ice shelf throughout the course of the winter (Fretwell et al. 2014).

Non-bird biodiversity: Numerous seals, most likely Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), haul out along sea ice leads near the access gulley east of the Emperor Penguin colony, as evident in satellite imagery available on Google Earth (imagery Digital Globe, 24 Nov 2011).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Shackleton Ice Shelf (Antarctica). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/shackleton-ice-shelf-iba-antarctica on 18/12/2024.