Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Sikorski Glacier is located on Noville Peninsula, and flows into the Bellingshausen Sea between Mount Palmer and Mount Feury. Noville Peninsula is an ice-covered promontory of ~45 km in length situated on the northern coast of Thurston Island, Ellsworth Land, and lies between Peale Inlet and Murphy Inlet, Bellingshausen Sea. An Emperor Penguin (
Aptenodytes forsteri) colony breeds on fast ice north of Sikorski Glacier.
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 stations are Rothera (GBR) and San MartÃn (ARG), located approximately 1250 km to the north in Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula.
Analysis of a satellite image acquired 17 Nov 2009 (Fretwell
et al. 2012) indicated that approximately 3568 Emperor Penguins were present at the colony, although image quality was rated as Poor. No other birds are known to breed in the area.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
None known.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Sikorski Glacier, Noville Peninsula (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/sikorski-glacier-noville-peninsula-iba-antarctica on 25/11/2024.
