Kirton Island is a small coastal island of the
Robinson Group Robinson Group () is a group of small islands extending in an east–west direction, lying close northwest of Cape Daly. The group was observed by British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE) under Mawson, 1931, who named ...
, lying west of
Cape Daly
Cape Daly () is an ice-covered promontory on the coast of Antarctica, west of Safety Island and close southeast of the Robinson Group. It was discovered in February 1931 by the British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition under Ma ...
,
Mac. Robertson Land
Mac. Robertson Land is the portion of Antarctica lying southward of the coast between William Scoresby Bay and Cape Darnley. It is located at . In the east, Mac. Robertson Land includes the Prince Charles Mountains. It was named by the British Au ...
, Antarctica, and about south of
Macklin Island. It was mapped by Norwegian cartographers from air photos taken by the
Lars Christensen Expedition, 1936–37, and was named by the
Antarctic Names Committee of Australia for
M. Kirton, a geophysicist at
Mawson Station
The Mawson Station, commonly called Mawson, is one of three permanent bases and research outposts in Antarctica managed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). Mawson lies in Holme Bay in Mac. Robertson Land, East Antarctica in the Austra ...
in 1959.
[
]
Important Bird Area
A 195 ha site, which comprises Kirton Island and neighbouring Macklin Island, along with associated smaller islands and the intervening marine area, has been designated an Important Bird Area
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.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
because it supports about 13,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguin
The Adélie penguin (''Pygoscelis adeliae'') is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor p ...
s, based on 2006 satellite imagery.[ ]
See also
* List of Antarctic and Subantarctic islands
References
External links
*
Important Bird Areas of Antarctica
Penguin colonies
Islands of Mac. Robertson Land
{{MacRobertsonLand-geo-stub