Data Zone
Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A4i (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 42 hectares (0.42 km2)
Site description (2015 baseline)
Uruguay Island is part of the Argentine Island group in the Wilhelm Archipelago, ~6 km from the Graham Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The island is ~1 km from north to south and ~500 m across. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Imperial Shag (Phalacrocorax [atriceps] bransfieldensis) colony present and includes all of Uruguay Island.
Information on the environment of Uruguay Island is not available. The nearest scientific station is Vernadsky (UKR), located on Galindez Island ~1 km to the southwest. Vernadsky Station operates year-round and accommodates ~24 people in the summer (COMNAP, Antarctic Facilities, accessed 19/08/2010).
Key biodiversity
Approximately 134 pairs of Imperial Shag were breeding on Uruguay Island in 1986 (unpublished data S. Poncet pers. comm. 2005).
Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Uruguay Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/uruguay-island-iba-antarctica on 23/12/2024.