Filla Island, Rauer Islands (45189)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Filla Island, Rauer Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: -68.8046, Longitude: 77.7803
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 1.02272
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Rauer Islands are situated between Ranvik Bay and Sørsdal Glacier Tongue, Ingrid Christensen Coast, Princess Elizabeth Land. Filla Island, the largest of the Rauer group, is up to 5.5 km long by 2.8 km wide and is ice free in summer. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colony present and comprises the western extremity of Filla Island. The nearest permanent station is Davis (AUS), ~26 km to the north on Broad Peninsula, Vestfold Hills.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: Whitehead & Johnstone (1990) estimated 15 097 breeding pairs of Adélie Penguin on Filla Island in 1981/82. This compares with 27 900 breeding pairs of Adélie Penguin present in 2010/11 as estimated from February 2011 satellite imagery (unpublished data H. Lynch & M. LaRue pers. comm. 2014: CI not available). Substantial numbers of fulmarine petrels also breed on Filla Island, with approximately 4007 breeding pairs of Southern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialoides) counted in 1985 (Creuwels et al. 2007), 1100 pairs of Antarctic Petrel (Thalassoica antarctica) counted in 1981 (van Franeker et al. 1999), and 100 pairs of Cape Petrel (Daption capense) counted in 1995 (Hodum unpublished; cited in Hodum et al. 2004). Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Delineation rationale: 1.26 km radius around point, truncated at coastline.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: None known.
Additional information
References: Creuwels, J.C.S., Poncet, S., Hodum, P.J. & van Franeker J.A. 2007. Distribution and abundance of the Southern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides. Polar Biology 30: 1083-97. Hodum, P., Croxall, J.P., Poncet, S. & Woehler, E. 2004. Breeding distribution of the Cape Petrel Daption capense. Unpublished draft manuscript. Lynch, H.J. & LaRue, M.A. 2014. First global census of the Adélie Penguin. The Auk 131(4): 457-66. doi:10.1642/AUK-14-31.1 van Franeker, J.A., Gavrilo, M., Mehlum, F., Veit, R.R. & Woehler, E.J. 1999. Distribution and abundance of the Antarctic Petrel. Waterbirds 22(1): 14-28. Whitehead, M.D. & Johnstone, G.W. 1990. The distribution and estimated abundance of Adélie Penguins breeding in Prydz Bay, Antarctica. NIPR Symposium on Polar Biology: 91-98.