Eaton's Pintail

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

Avibase (Lepage Denis)

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