Distribution and abundance of snow petrels Pagodroma nivea in the Windmill Islands, East Antarctica

In light of a paucity of available data on snow-petrel breeding areas and population sizes in the Australian Antarctic Territory, we undertook a systematic regional survey in the Windmill Islands during the 2002/ 2003 summer. Snow petrels were found breeding at most ice-free localities at varying de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Olivier, F, Lee, AV, Woehler, E
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer-Verlag 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-004-0595-3
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/32184
Description
Summary:In light of a paucity of available data on snow-petrel breeding areas and population sizes in the Australian Antarctic Territory, we undertook a systematic regional survey in the Windmill Islands during the 2002/ 2003 summer. Snow petrels were found breeding at most ice-free localities at varying densities. A total of 4,034 active snow-petrel nests were located; 83% of these active nests were located in the southern half of the survey area. Based on the surveys, we provide distribution maps of nesting areas at a regional scale and estimate the total breeding population at approximately 12,200 pairs. Springer-Verlag 2004.