TF004
Îles des Apôtres


Country/territory: French Southern Territories

IBA criteria met: A1, A4ii, A4iii (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 800 hectares (8.00 km2)


Site description (2001 baseline)
This site is located close to the Île aux Cochons, on the western side of the archipelago. It consists of a small group of eroded reefs and sheer islands. The main island is 3 km long. The steep coastal cliffs make access from the sea virtually impossible; they have therefore only very occasionally been visited by man. The site is free of any introduced animal species and is therefore in a largely unaltered state.

Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. At least 25 breeding species occur, notably including six species of albatross comprising Diomedea exulans (120 pairs), D. chrysostoma (180 pairs). D. melanophris (330 pairs), Phoebetria fusca (20–30 pairs) and 150 pairs of Phoebetria palpebrata. In addition, numbers of Pterodroma macroptera and P. mollis are believed to exceed thresholds, but no quantitative data are available. Also present are 2,000–9,000 pairs of both Halobaena caerulea and Procellaria aequinoctialis, and 20 pairs of Phalacrocorax atriceps melanogenis.

Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Îles des Apôtres (French Southern Territories). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/îles-des-apôtres-iba-french-southern-territories on 22/12/2024.