Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
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.
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.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The whole of the Îles des Apôtres is a French Antarctic National Park to which access is restricted. It is also a proposed Nature Reserve.
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 22/11/2024.
