Cormorant Island

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Cormorant Island
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Cormorant Island
Location in Antarctica
Geography
Location Antarctica
Coordinates 64°48′S63°58′W / 64.800°S 63.967°W / -64.800; -63.967 Coordinates: 64°48′S63°58′W / 64.800°S 63.967°W / -64.800; -63.967
Archipelago Palmer Archipelago
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Cormorant Island is a 10 ha island lying in Bismarck Strait 1 km south of Anvers Island, 4 km (2.5 mi) east-south-east of Bonaparte Point, in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica. It lies some 5 km to the south-east of the United States' Palmer Station in Arthur Harbour on Anvers Island. It was shown on an Argentine government chart of 1954, but not named. It was named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-names Committee (UK-APC) in 1958 because of the large number of cormorants (shags) seen there. [1]

Island Any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water

An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be called an eyot or ait, and a small island off the coast may be called a holm. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago, such as the Philippines.

The Bismarck Strait is a channel in Antarctica. It is located between the southern end of Anvers and Wiencke Islands and the Wilhelm Archipelago. It was surveyed in 1874 by First Antarctic German expedition under Captain Eduard Dallmann.

Anvers Island high, mountainous island 61 km (38 miles) long, outside Antarctica

Anvers Island or Antwerp Island or Antwerpen Island or Isla Amberes is a high, mountainous island 61 km long, the largest in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica. It was discovered by John Biscoe in 1832 and named in 1898 by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Adrien de Gerlache after the province of Antwerp in Belgium. It lies south-west of Brabant Island at the south-western end of the group. The south-western coastline of the island forms part of the Southwest Anvers Island and Palmer Basin Antarctic Specially Managed Area. Cormorant Island, an Important Bird Area, lies 1 km off the south coast.

Contents

Important Bird Area

The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of over 700 pairs of imperial shags, one of the largest such colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Other birds nesting at the site include Adélie penguins and southern giant petrels. The IBA is defined by the border of a Restricted Zone, under the Management Plan for ASMA 7 - Southwest Anvers Island and Palmer Basin, which includes, as well as the island, the surrounding marine area up to 50 m from the shoreline. [1]

Important Bird Area area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of birds populations

An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.

BirdLife International is a global partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats, and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. It is the world's largest partnership of conservation organisations, with over 120 partner organisations.

Bird colony large congregation of birds at a particular location

A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony. Colonial nesting birds include seabirds such as auks and albatrosses; wetland species such as herons; and a few passerines such as weaverbirds, certain blackbirds, and some swallows. A group of birds congregating for rest is called a communal roost. Evidence of colonial nesting has been found in non-neornithine birds (Enantiornithes), in sediments from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Romania.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Cormorant Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2012-12-14.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Cormorant Island" (content from the Geographic Names Information System ).

United States Geological Survey scientific agency of the United States government

The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The USGS is a fact-finding research organization with no regulatory responsibility.

Geographic Names Information System geographical database

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer. GNIS was developed by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) to promote the standardization of feature names.