FIRST POPULATION COUNTS AT NEWLY DISCOVERED ADELIE PENGUIN PYGOSCELIS ADELIAE BREEDING SITES ALONG THE WILHELM II, QUEEN MARY AND WILKES LAND COASTLINES, EAST ANTARCTICA

摘要

Knowledge of seabird populations in east Antarctica is sparse. The Adelie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae is one of the most visible and intensively studied Antarctic seabirds, but basic knowledge of breeding distribution and abundance along large sectionsof eastern Antarctica is uncertain (Barbraud et al. 1999, Southwell et al. 2009). Until recently, only eight Adelie Penguin breeding sites were known along the Wilhelm II, Queen Mary and Wilkes Land coastlines between longitude 89°E and 110°E (six sites in the Haswell Islands and two sites in the Davis Islands reported in Pryor 1968 and Melick et al. 1995 respectively, Fig. 1). However, a recent comprehensive survey of potential Adelie Penguin breeding habitat along this stretch of coastline (Southwell and Emmerson 2013) found an additional five breeding sites in this region that had not been previously reported (Fig. 1). We present here the first population counts of Adelie penguins at these five newly discovered breeding sites, and in doing so substantially improve knowledge of Adelie Penguin breeding abundance in the region.