Wandering Albatross

Patrick Ingremeau
TAMANDUA

PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDS’ BIRD SPECIES

South African sub-Antarctic islands

 

The Prince Edward Islands group includes two islands, Prince Edward and Marion. This group is South Africa’s only dependency.
Prince Edward Island is named after Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, whereas Marion Island is named after Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, a French explorer.
Both islands are special Nature Reserves under the South African Environmental Management. Activities are restricted to research and conservation management. Only some humans of the staff are living on Marion Island, whereas Prince Edward Island is uninhabited.

These islands are about 1,769 kilometres SE of Port Elizabeth in mainland South Africa.
Marion Island is the largest with 25 km long and 17 km wide. The coastline is made of high cliffs. The Mascarin Peak (1,242 metres) is the highest point.
Prince Edward Island is smaller and is about 10 km long and 6,5 wide. It lies some 22 kilometres to the NE of Marion Island. The highest point is the Van Zinderen Bakker Peak (672 metres). Some offshore rocks lie along the northern coast.

Both islands have volcanic origins and the volcano is active on Marion Island. The climate is cool and windy and strong winds blow almost every day. It rains about 28 days a month and this place is one of the cloudiest of the world. Temperatures vary from 8,3°C in February (midsummer) to 3,9°C in August (midwinter).

Like on other subantarctic islands, plants are usually limited to grasses and mosses.
The fauna includes insects and large populations of seabirds, seals and penguins. In the surrounding waters, several species of whales, and especially orcas, prey on penguins and seals.

The wildlife is vulnerable to introduced species, and especially cats which kill more burrowing petrels than mice.
Following the extinction of some species of petrels on Marion Island, a “cat eradication program” was established. In 1982, only 600 cats were still alive. There were 3,400 cats in 1977. The remaining cats were killed by nocturnal shooting. Marion Island is today a cat-free island, but now, mice have proliferated and kill the chicks of the albatrosses.

Several species of birds are breeding on these islands, and especially seabirds. Among the albatrosses, the Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross breeds at Prince Edward Island.
No endemic species but numerous breeding seabirds and passing birds.

Text by Nicole Bouglouan  

 

MARION ISLAND’s BIRDS

Antarctic Tern - Sterna vittata - Sterne couronnée

Black-browed Albatross - Thalassarche melanophris - Albatros à sourcils noirs

Black-faced Sheathbill - Chionis minor - Petit Chionis

Blue Petrel - Halobaena caerulea - Prion bleu

Brown Skua – Stercorarius antarcticus - Labbe antarctique

Common Diving-Petrel - Pelecanoides urinatrix - Puffinure plongeur

Crozet Shag - Leucocarbo melanogenis - Cormoran de Crozet

Fairy prion - Pachyptila turtur - Prion colombe

Gentoo Penguin - Pygoscelis papua - Manchot papou

Great-winged Petrel - Pterodroma macroptera - Pétrel noir

Grey-backed Storm-Petrel - Garrodia nereis - Océanite néréide

Grey-headed Albatross – Thalassarche chrysostoma – Albatros à tête grise

Grey Petrel - Procellaria cinerea - Puffin gris

Kelp Gull - Larus dominicanus – Goéland dominicain

Kerguelen Petrel - Aphrodroma brevirostris - Pétrel des Kerguelen

Kerguelen Tern - Sterna virgata - Sterne de Kerguelen

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

Salvin’s Prion - Pachyptila salvini - Prion de Salvin

Soft-plumaged Petrel - Pterodroma mollis - Pétrel soyeux

Sooty Albatross - Phoebetria fusca - Albatros brun 

Southern Giant Petrel - Macronectes giganteus - Pétrel géant

Southern Rockhopper Penguin - Eudyptes chrysocome - Gorfou sauteur

South Georgia Diving-Petrel - Pelecanoides georgicus - Puffinure de Géorgie du Sud

Wandering Albatross - Diomedea exulans - Albatros hurleur 

White-chinned Petrel - Procellaria aequinoctialis - Puffin à menton blanc

 

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND’s BIRDS

African Cuckoo - Cuculus gularis - Coucou africain

Antarctic Prion - Pachyptila desolata - Prion de la Désolation

Antarctic Petrel - Thalassoica Antarctica - Pétrel antarctique

Australasian Gannet - Morus serrator - Fou austral

Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica - Hirondelle rustique

Black-bellied Storm-Petrel - Fregetta tropica - Océanite à ventre noir

Black-browed Albatross - Thalassarche melanophris - Albatros à sourcils noirs

Black-faced Sheathbill - Chionis minor - Petit Chionis

Blue Petrel - Halobaena caerulea - Prion bleu

Broad-billed Prion - Pachyptila vittata - Prion de Forster

Brown Skua – Stercorarius antarcticus - Labbe antarctique

Cape Petrel - Daption capense - Damier du Cap

Common Diving-Petrel - Pelecanoides urinatrix - Puffinure plongeur

Common Greenshank - Tringa nebularia - Chevalier aboyeur

Common Ringed Plover - Charadrius hiaticula - Pluvier grand-gravelot

Common Sandpiper - Actitis hypoleucos - Chevalier guignette

Common Swift - Apus apus - Martinet noir

Crozet Shag - Leucocarbo melanogenis - Cormoran de Crozet

Fairy prion - Pachyptila turtur - Prion colombe

Gentoo Penguin - Pygoscelis papua - Manchot papou

Great-winged Petrel - Pterodroma macroptera - Pétrel noir

Grey-backed Storm-Petrel - Garrodia nereis - Océanite néréide

Grey-headed Albatross – Thalassarche chrysostoma – Albatros à tête grise

Grey Petrel - Procellaria cinerea - Puffin gris

House Sparrow - Passer domesticus - Moineau domestique

Imperial Shag - Leucocarbo atriceps - Cormoran impérial

Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross - Thalassarche carteri - Albatros de l’Océan Indien

Intermediate Egret – Mesophoyx intermedia – Héron intermédiaire

Kerguelen Petrel - Aphrodroma brevirostris - Pétrel des Kerguelen

King Penguin - Aptenodytes patagonicus - Manchot Royal

Light-mantled Albatross - Phoebetria palpebrata - Albatros fuligineux

Little Shearwater - Puffinus assimilis - Petit Puffin

Little Stint - Calidris minuta - Bécasseau minute

Macaroni Penguin – Eudyptes chrysolophus – Gorfou doré

Northern Giant-Petrel – Macronectes halli – Pétrel de Hall

Northern Pintail - Anas acuta - Canard pilet

Parasitic Jaeger or Arctic Skua - Stercorarius parasiticus - Labbe parasite

Pectoral Sandpiper - Calidris melanotos - Bécasseau tacheté

Red Phalarope - Phalaropus fulicarius - Phalarope à bec large

Red-backed Shrike - Lanius collurio - Pie-grièche écorcheur

Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres - Tournepierre à collier

Salvin’s Prion - Pachyptila salvini - Prion de Salvin

Scopoli’s Shearwater - Calonectris diomedea - Puffin de Scopoli

Shy Albatross - Thalassarche cauta - Albatros à cape blanche

Soft-plumaged Petrel - Pterodroma mollis - Pétrel soyeux

Sooty Albatross - Phoebetria fusca - Albatros brun

Sooty Shearwater - Puffinus griseus - Puffin fuligineux

Southern Fulmar - Fulmarus glacialoides - Fulmar argenté

Southern Giant Petrel - Macronectes giganteus - Pétrel géant

Southern Rockhopper Penguin - Eudyptes chrysocome - Gorfou sauteur

Southern Royal Albatross - Diomedea epomophora - Albatros royal (du Sud)

South Georgia Diving-Petrel - Pelecanoides georgicus - Puffinure de Géorgie du Sud

Terek Sandpiper - Xenus cinereus - Chevalier bargette

Three-banded Plover - Charadrius tricollaris - Gravelot à triple collier

Wandering Albatross - Diomedea exulans - Albatros hurleur 

Western Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis - Héron garde-bœufs

Western Yellow Wagtail - Motacilla flava - Bergeronnette printanière

Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus – Courlis corlieu

White-chinned Petrel - Procellaria aequinoctialis - Puffin à menton blanc

White-headed Petrel – Pterodroma lessonii – Pétrel de Lesson

White Stork – Ciconia ciconia – Cigogne blanche

Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus - Pouillot fitis

Wilson’s Storm-Petrel - Oceanites oceanicus - Océanite de Wilson

Wood Sandpiper - Tringa glareola - Chevalier sylvain

 

Sources:

Avibase (Lepage Denis)

BirdLife International (BirdLife International)

Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia

Ports and Ships - Marion and Prince Edward Islands by Terry Hutson

Prince Edward Islands Marine Protected Area
© Dr Samantha Petersen/WWF-SA

SANAP – South African National Antarctic Programme