Other Birds of Macquarie Island
Other birds species that are found on Macquarie Island include:
The Macquarie Shag: The Macquarie shag is present on the island all year and is restricted to the Macquarie, Bishop and Clerk islands which are part of the Macquarie Island sector. They have black and white feathers that cover their upper and lower bodies and pink webbed feet for swimming because most of their life is spent in the water. They stand at a height of around 75cm and have a wingspan of about 1.1 meters. They weigh from 2.5kgs to 3.5kg which comes from their diet of benthic fish. Macquarie Shags make nests that are 20-30cm in height. Breeding is done from the beginning of June and eggs are laid late September-November and begin to hatch by late December. The Macquarie Shag is a vulnerable species with the last breeding count of 472 pairs.
Antarctic Prion: The Antarctic Prion is the largest of prion with a wing span of about 17-20 cm. They have greyish white feathers and a black bill. Antarctic Prion are found on the islands of South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Island, Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Heard Island, Macquarie Island, Auckland Island, and Scott Island. They are commonly seen at sea in their colonies ranging in the tens of thousands, meaning they are one of the least concerned in conservation status. Their major predators are feral cats and rats which prey easily on eggs at breeding colonies and skuas and gulls which take adult birds from their colonies. Prions arrive to breed in their colonies between October and early November and lay their eggs around December. Nest are made on exposed rock cliffs, cavities around boulders and in small burrows on grass covered slopes. Breeders which have bred before usually arrive first and at the same place they bred the year before. The egg hatches in late January to mid February after around 45 days of incubation. Most chicks and adults leave the nest in mid-March and move to warmer waters for the winter, most of the time many of them reach Australia. Antarctic Prion feed mainly on krill, polychaete worms, squid and other small crustaceans by flying across the surface of the ocean with their wings outstretched and submerging their bill which scoops up their meal. They sometimes dive to a shallow depth to reach prey.
Antarctic Tern: Antarctic Terns are small white/grey/brownish coloured birds that have a wingspan of about 80cm and are around 40cm in length. They have bright red bills and orange/red legs. The head is usually black but during winter is has small amounts of white. Antarctic terns are found and breed at Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, Iles Kerguelen, St. Paul and Amsterdam Island, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, some New Zealand sub-antarctic islands, Macquarie Island and Heard Island. They begin to return to their colonies in September to October which rarely number more the 40 widely spread nests. 1-3 eggs are laid in a shallow pebble or shell lined hole between October and January and are extremely hard to see as eggs and chicks are highly camouflaged. Chicks are fledged between January and May and their parents still attend to their chicks for several months after being fledged, occasionally feeding them. Antarctic Terns diets consists of small fish and various crustaceans which are found just out at sea. Skuas and kelp gulls still manage to steal a small amount of eggs and chicks from breeding grounds, even though terns cooperate with each other to defend their colonies.
Kelp Gull: Kelp gulls have a white head, neck, underbody, bottom and tail along with black wings which stretch from 105-142cm in length. They also have a yellow bill and legs. Kelp gulls are found widely in sub antarctic and subtropical waters near New Zealand and South Eastern Australia. They nest on beaches, grassy headland, among rocks, ledges and offshore islets in which they make nests out of materials that are found around that certain area. They usually construct bowls or conical mounds in sand with grass, seaweed, sticks, shells and debris. Kelp gulls lay three eggs between November and December with incubation taking around 23-30 days and fledging 45-61 days. Their diet comes from preying on molluscs, fish, crustaceans and other seabirds but varies considering the season and availability of some food.
Southern fulmar: Southern Fulmars are fairly small in size with a length of around 46-50 cm and a wingspan of up to 1.1-1.2 m when completely outstretched. They have a pink bill that is tipped with black along with pinkish-blue feet and legs. They are found breeding on the Antarctic peninsula and the Antarctic continent They are also seen on the South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, Bouvet, Pete 1 but during the winter seasons they move Northerly from the ice packs. Southern Fulmars make their nests on the rocky ledges of steep coastal cliffs out of stone chips. Adults arrive in their colonies around October and lay one egg between November and December. Chicks hatch and fledge from March to April. The Southern Fulmars conservation status is least concerned with only skuas taking the occasional abandoned egg or chick, yet the most significant danger to chicks and eggs are from extreme weather conditions. Southern Fulmars are very social birds who travel in large flocks to nest and feed. Their diet consists of krill, squid, fish and other crustaceans on which they feed upon at night and are rarely seen following ships.
South Polar Skua: The South Polar Skua is a fairly large grey feathered bird that can grow to 53 cm in length and can be found on the Antarctic continent breeding and is a Winter visitor to southern Australia. They arrive in their breeding colonies between late-October and mid December to nest in small 'bowl' shaped holes in the ground around rocky outcrops, moss covered cliff sides and valley floors. Incubation of an egg takes around 24-34 days and usually hatch in late December to late January. South Polar Skuas are considered least concerned when it comes to conservation status and are more predator than prey, since during the summer months they occasional eggs and young of Penguins and other antarctic birds. Southern giant petrels, other skuas and neglect or exposure are the only predators of the South Polar skua.
Sub-Antarctic Skua:The sub antarctic skua has grey-brown or dark brown wings with spotted white patches on the outside. They have a wedge shaped tail and a short black bill. Sub antarctic skuas are found widely from the subtropics to the sub antarctic and can be seen in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America. They can be occasionally spotted foraging for food around Antarctic islands yet they do not breed there. During the winter many of the birds leave their colonies but a large quantity still remain off the coast of New Zealand. Sub Antarctic skuas breed in the summer and will usually produce 1-2 eggs which are laid in nests located on high grass lands or around rocky sheltered areas next to penguin colonies. If attacked, parents will defend their nests strongly and viciously against intruders including fellow skuas and petrels. Most skuas live to an age of approximately 11 years. Sub antarctic skuas prey on other seabirds and their young and eggs. They also make a meal out of fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and other small mammals, yet their overall diet depends on the season and location.
The Macquarie Shag: The Macquarie shag is present on the island all year and is restricted to the Macquarie, Bishop and Clerk islands which are part of the Macquarie Island sector. They have black and white feathers that cover their upper and lower bodies and pink webbed feet for swimming because most of their life is spent in the water. They stand at a height of around 75cm and have a wingspan of about 1.1 meters. They weigh from 2.5kgs to 3.5kg which comes from their diet of benthic fish. Macquarie Shags make nests that are 20-30cm in height. Breeding is done from the beginning of June and eggs are laid late September-November and begin to hatch by late December. The Macquarie Shag is a vulnerable species with the last breeding count of 472 pairs.
Antarctic Prion: The Antarctic Prion is the largest of prion with a wing span of about 17-20 cm. They have greyish white feathers and a black bill. Antarctic Prion are found on the islands of South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Island, Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Heard Island, Macquarie Island, Auckland Island, and Scott Island. They are commonly seen at sea in their colonies ranging in the tens of thousands, meaning they are one of the least concerned in conservation status. Their major predators are feral cats and rats which prey easily on eggs at breeding colonies and skuas and gulls which take adult birds from their colonies. Prions arrive to breed in their colonies between October and early November and lay their eggs around December. Nest are made on exposed rock cliffs, cavities around boulders and in small burrows on grass covered slopes. Breeders which have bred before usually arrive first and at the same place they bred the year before. The egg hatches in late January to mid February after around 45 days of incubation. Most chicks and adults leave the nest in mid-March and move to warmer waters for the winter, most of the time many of them reach Australia. Antarctic Prion feed mainly on krill, polychaete worms, squid and other small crustaceans by flying across the surface of the ocean with their wings outstretched and submerging their bill which scoops up their meal. They sometimes dive to a shallow depth to reach prey.
Antarctic Tern: Antarctic Terns are small white/grey/brownish coloured birds that have a wingspan of about 80cm and are around 40cm in length. They have bright red bills and orange/red legs. The head is usually black but during winter is has small amounts of white. Antarctic terns are found and breed at Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, Iles Kerguelen, St. Paul and Amsterdam Island, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, some New Zealand sub-antarctic islands, Macquarie Island and Heard Island. They begin to return to their colonies in September to October which rarely number more the 40 widely spread nests. 1-3 eggs are laid in a shallow pebble or shell lined hole between October and January and are extremely hard to see as eggs and chicks are highly camouflaged. Chicks are fledged between January and May and their parents still attend to their chicks for several months after being fledged, occasionally feeding them. Antarctic Terns diets consists of small fish and various crustaceans which are found just out at sea. Skuas and kelp gulls still manage to steal a small amount of eggs and chicks from breeding grounds, even though terns cooperate with each other to defend their colonies.
Kelp Gull: Kelp gulls have a white head, neck, underbody, bottom and tail along with black wings which stretch from 105-142cm in length. They also have a yellow bill and legs. Kelp gulls are found widely in sub antarctic and subtropical waters near New Zealand and South Eastern Australia. They nest on beaches, grassy headland, among rocks, ledges and offshore islets in which they make nests out of materials that are found around that certain area. They usually construct bowls or conical mounds in sand with grass, seaweed, sticks, shells and debris. Kelp gulls lay three eggs between November and December with incubation taking around 23-30 days and fledging 45-61 days. Their diet comes from preying on molluscs, fish, crustaceans and other seabirds but varies considering the season and availability of some food.
Southern fulmar: Southern Fulmars are fairly small in size with a length of around 46-50 cm and a wingspan of up to 1.1-1.2 m when completely outstretched. They have a pink bill that is tipped with black along with pinkish-blue feet and legs. They are found breeding on the Antarctic peninsula and the Antarctic continent They are also seen on the South Sandwich Islands, South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia, Bouvet, Pete 1 but during the winter seasons they move Northerly from the ice packs. Southern Fulmars make their nests on the rocky ledges of steep coastal cliffs out of stone chips. Adults arrive in their colonies around October and lay one egg between November and December. Chicks hatch and fledge from March to April. The Southern Fulmars conservation status is least concerned with only skuas taking the occasional abandoned egg or chick, yet the most significant danger to chicks and eggs are from extreme weather conditions. Southern Fulmars are very social birds who travel in large flocks to nest and feed. Their diet consists of krill, squid, fish and other crustaceans on which they feed upon at night and are rarely seen following ships.
South Polar Skua: The South Polar Skua is a fairly large grey feathered bird that can grow to 53 cm in length and can be found on the Antarctic continent breeding and is a Winter visitor to southern Australia. They arrive in their breeding colonies between late-October and mid December to nest in small 'bowl' shaped holes in the ground around rocky outcrops, moss covered cliff sides and valley floors. Incubation of an egg takes around 24-34 days and usually hatch in late December to late January. South Polar Skuas are considered least concerned when it comes to conservation status and are more predator than prey, since during the summer months they occasional eggs and young of Penguins and other antarctic birds. Southern giant petrels, other skuas and neglect or exposure are the only predators of the South Polar skua.
Sub-Antarctic Skua:The sub antarctic skua has grey-brown or dark brown wings with spotted white patches on the outside. They have a wedge shaped tail and a short black bill. Sub antarctic skuas are found widely from the subtropics to the sub antarctic and can be seen in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America. They can be occasionally spotted foraging for food around Antarctic islands yet they do not breed there. During the winter many of the birds leave their colonies but a large quantity still remain off the coast of New Zealand. Sub Antarctic skuas breed in the summer and will usually produce 1-2 eggs which are laid in nests located on high grass lands or around rocky sheltered areas next to penguin colonies. If attacked, parents will defend their nests strongly and viciously against intruders including fellow skuas and petrels. Most skuas live to an age of approximately 11 years. Sub antarctic skuas prey on other seabirds and their young and eggs. They also make a meal out of fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and other small mammals, yet their overall diet depends on the season and location.