Flora_and_fauna_of_the_Kerguelen_Islands
The Kerguelen Islands are part of the Southern Indian Ocean Islands tundra ecoregion that includes several subantarctic islands. In this cold climate plant life is mainly limited to grasses, mosses and lichens, although the islands are also known for the indigenous edible Kerguelen cabbage. The islands are at the Antarctic convergence, where cold water moving up from the Antarctic mixes with the warmer water of the Indian Ocean. As a consequence, marine mammals, especially seals, and seabirds and penguins are numerous.[2]
Nesting birds of the Kerguelen Islands[1] | ||
Binomial name | Common name | |
Spheniscidae | ||
Aptenodytes patagonicus | King penguin | |
Pygoscelis papua | Gentoo penguin | |
Eudyptes chrysolophus | Macaroni penguin | |
Eudyptes chrysocome | Southern rockhopper penguin | |
Procellariidae | ||
Diomedea exulans | Wandering albatross | |
Thalassarche melanophris | Black-browed albatross | |
Thalassarche chrysostoma | Grey-headed albatross | |
Phoebetria fusca | Sooty albatross | |
Phoebetria palpebrata | Light-mantled albatross | |
Macronectes halli | Giant petrel | |
Daption capense | Cape petrel | |
Pachyptila belcheri | Slender-billed prion | |
Pachyptila desolata | Antarctic prion | |
Halobaena caerulea | Blue petrel | |
Pterodroma macroptera | Great-winged petrel | |
Pterodroma lessonii | White-headed petrel | |
Pterodroma brevirostris | Kerguelen petrel | |
Procellaria aequinoctialis | White-chinned petrel | |
Procellaria cinerea | Grey petrel | |
Hydrobatidae | ||
Oceanites oceanicus | Wilson's storm-petrel | |
Fregetta tropica | Black-bellied storm-petrel | |
Garrodia nereis | Grey-backed storm-petrel | |
Pelecanoididae | ||
Pelecanoides georgicus | South Georgian diving petrel | |
Pelecanoides urinatrix | Common diving petrel | |
Phalacrocoracidae | ||
Phalacrocorax verrucosus | Kerguelen shag | |
Anatidae | ||
Anas eatoni | Eaton's pintail | |
Chionididae | ||
Chionis minor | Black-faced sheathbill | |
Stercorariidae | ||
Stercorarius skua | Great skua | |
Laridae | ||
Larus dominicanus | Kelp gull | |
Sterna virgata | Kerguelen tern | |
Sterna vittata | Antarctic tern |