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New breeding site and records of king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) on King George Island (South Shetlands, Western Antarctic)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2019

Piotr Gryz ,
Alina Gerlée Open the ORCID record for Alina Gerlée [Opens in a new window]  and
Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire Open the ORCID record for Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire [Opens in a new window]
Piotr Gryz
Affiliation:
Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, Warsaw 00-818, Poland
Alina Gerlée
Affiliation:
Department of Geoecology, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 30, Warsaw 00-927, Poland
Małgorzata Korczak-Abshire*
Affiliation:
Department of Antarctic Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawińskiego 5a, Warsaw 02-106, Poland
*
Email: mka@ibb.waw.pl
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Abstract

The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is a pelagic species that breeds on sub-Antarctic islands relatively close to the Antarctic polar front. After a significant decline at the beginning of the twentieth century because of widespread exploitation by sealers, the species’ numbers are currently increasing, with observed local fluctuations. There has also been an increase in the number of sightings in the Antarctic, and recorded breeding attempts in this area. Here we present the history of observations of king penguins from 1977 to 2017 in two Antarctic Specially Protected Areas: ASPA No. 128 Western Shore of Admiralty Bay, and No. 151 Lions Rump, King George Island, South Shetland Islands (Western Antarctic). Additionally, we report on a new breeding site at Lions Rump, the third known breeding site for this species in the South Shetland Islands. Together with observations from other parts of the archipelago, the information in this study supports earlier suggestions of a southerly expansion of this species and of attempts to colonise the Antarctic Peninsula region.

Keywords

King penguinsClimate changeBreeding range extensionAntarctic Peninsula region
Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 54 , Issue 4 , July 2018 , pp. 275 - 283
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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