Caughley Beach, Cape Bird (45230)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Caughley Beach, Cape Bird
Central coordinates: Latitude: -77.2202, Longitude: 166.4432
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 250
Area of KBA (km2): 1.02674
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Cape Bird is situated at the northwestern extremity of Ross Island at the foot of Mount Bird, where a nearby ice free point extends ~10 km along the coast, and includes McDonald Beach and Caughley Beach. Three Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colonies occupy this coast, known informally as ‘Northern', ‘Middle' and ‘Southern' rookeries. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Adélie Penguin and South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) colonies present and comprises the ice-free area at Caughley Beach. The IBA includes ASPA No. 116 New College Valley (designated for its extensive moss beds and associated microflora and fauna) and the Cape Bird Hut (NZL). The nearest permanent scientific stations are Scott Base (NZL) and McMurdo (USA), situated ~67 km to the south on Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: The Caughley Beach colony (‘Northern Rookery') is the largest of the three colonies at Cape Bird with ~40 000 Adélie Penguin breeding pairs (count approximate, Coats 2010). See IBA McDonald Beach for a description of mean population counts between 1981 and 2012 for all three Cape Bird colonies and information on other birds that have been observed in the vicinity. South Polar Skuas nest inside ASPA No. 116, although numbers are not known (ASPA No.116 Management Plan 2011). Wilson et al. (in prep.) estimated 140 breeding pairs of South Polar Skua within 1000 m of the Adélie Penguin colony at Caughley Beach (P. Lyver pers. comm. 2015). Non-bird biodiversity: Weddell (Leptonychotes weddellii), Crabeater (Lobodon carcinophagus) and Leopard (Hydrurga leptonyx) seals, as well as Killer Whales (Orcinus orca), have been observed in the vicinity.
Delineation rationale: 1.26 km radius around point, truncated at coastline and permanent ice.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Access to Cape Bird Hut is generally made by helicopter from the stations on Hut Point Peninsula. Two designated landing sites exist, one ~400 m southwest from the hut at Caughley Beach for use between October to February and one adjacent to the hut for use between March and September. Helicopter movements have caused disturbance to penguins breeding near the approach routes and landing sites in recent years (D. Ainley pers. comms 2011, 2012) and this represents a potential conservation concern. See the description of IBA McDonald Beach for details of tourist visits.
Additional information
References: ASPA No. 116 New College Valley, Caughley Beach, Cape Bird: Management Plan (2011). Coats, L. 2010. Antarctic field season 2010: update #4: Cape Bird. http://www.coplateau.com/Update4_Cape_Bird.html - accessed 30 Jan 2015. Harper, P.C., Knox, G.A., Spurr, E.B., Taylor, R.H. Wilson, G.J & Young, E.C. 1984. The status and conservation of birds in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica. In: Croxall, J.P., Evans, P.G.H. & Schreiber, R.W. (eds) Status and Conservation of the World's Seabirds. ICBP Technical Publication 2: 593-608. Lyver, P.O'B., Barron, M., Barton, K.J., Ainley, D.G., Pollard, A., Gordon, S., McNeill, S., Ballard, G. & Wilson, P.R. 2014. Trends in the breeding population of Adélie Penguins in the Ross Sea, 1981–2012: a coincidence of climate and resource extraction effects. PLoS ONE 9(3): e91188. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091188 Spurr, E.B., Wilson, K.-J. & Agar, P.M. 1990. Bird species recorded at Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica. Notornis 37(1): 37-44. Wilson, D.J., Lyver, P.O'B., Whitehead, A.L., Greene, T.C., Dugger, K., Karl, B.J., Barringer, J.R.F., McGarry, R., Pollard, A.M. & Ainley, D.G. in prep. Adélie Penguin colony size predicts South Polar Skua abundance on Ross Island, Antarctica. The Condor.