Otto Plantema
Trips around the world
FRENCH SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS’
ENDEMIC BIRD SPECIES
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands comprise several islands and islets in the Indian Ocean and Terre Adelie, a small portion of the Antarctica continent. Only the island birds are studied here.
They are forming an overseas territory of France.
The Scattered Islands (40 km ²) are small Islands in the Indian Ocean scattered around Madagascar, most of them located in the Mozambique Channel.
Bassas da India – Europa Island – Glorioso Islands – Juan de Nova Island – Tromelin Island
District of Saint- Paul (8 km ²) and Amsterdam (54 km ²)
District Crozet (115 km ²)
District Kerguelen (7215 km ²)
All these islands are located in the Southern Indian Ocean, more than 15 000 km from France. These inhospitable and isolated areas, with temperatures between 0°C and -45°C, and strong, constant winds of up to 250km/hour.
However, numerous bird species breed there, such as penguins, albatrosses, petrels, cormorants, skuas, gulls, terns and others.
They also shelter:
Three endemic bird species:
Amsterdam Albatross - Diomedea amsterdamensis - Albatros d'Amsterdam
Eaton’s Pintail - Anas eatoni - Canard d’Eaton
Kerguelen Shag - Leucocarbo verrucosus - Cormoran des Kerguelen
Other species present on these islands:
Adelie Penguin - Pygoscelis adeliae - Manchot d’Adélie
Australasian Gannet - Morus serrator - Fou austral
Bar-tailed Godwit - Limosa lapponica - Barge rousse
Black-browed Albatross - Thalassarche melanophris - Albatros à sourcils noirs
Black-crowned Night Heron – Nycticorax nycticorax – Bihoreau gris
Brown Skua – Stercorarius antarcticus - Labbe antarctique
Chinstrap Penguin - Pygoscelis antarctica - Manchot à jugulaire
Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus - Coucou gris
Eleonora’s Falcon - Falco eleonorae - Faucon d’Eléonore
Emperor Penguin - Aptenodytes forsteri - Manchot empereur
Gentoo Penguin - Pygoscelis papua - Manchot papou
Kelp Gull - Larus dominicanus – Goéland dominicain
King Penguin - Aptenodytes patagonicus - Manchot Royal
Light-mantled Albatross - Phoebetria palpebrata - Albatros fuligineux
Macaroni Penguin – Eudyptes chrysolophus – Gorfou doré
Northern Giant-Petrel – Macronectes halli – Pétrel de Hall
Northern Rockhopper Penguin - Eudyptes moseleyi - Gorfou de Moseley
Royal Penguin - Eudyptes schlegeli - Gorfou de Schlegel
Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres - Tournepierre à collier
Sanderling – Calidris alba - Bécasseau sanderling
Sooty Tern - Onychoprion fuscatus - Sterne fuligineuse
Wandering Albatross - Diomedea exulans - Albatros hurleur
Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus – Courlis corlieu
White-chinned Petrel - Procellaria aequinoctialis - Puffin à menton blanc
Photographer:
Otto Plantema
Trips around the world
Sources :
A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife by Hadoram Shirihai and Illustrated by Brett Jarrett - Edited by Guy M. Kirwan - ALUL.A Press Oy, Finland - ISBN 9519894705
BirdLife International (BirdLife International)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
Institut Polaire Français IPEV – Paul Emile Victor
Réserves Naturelles de France - Terres australes françaises
Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises