The snowy sheathbill (''Chionis albus''), also known as the greater sheathbill, pale-faced sheathbill, and paddy, is one of two species of
sheathbill. It is usually found on the ground. It is the only land bird native to the Antarctic continent.
Taxonomy
The snowy sheathbill was
formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist
Johann Friedrich Gmelin
, fields =
, workplaces = University of GöttingenUniversity of Tübingen
, alma_mater = University of Tübingen
, doctoral_advisor = Philipp Friedrich GmelinFerdinand Christoph Oetinger
, academic_advisors =
, doctora ...
in his revised and expanded edition of
Carl Linnaeus's ''
Systema Naturae
' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...
''. He placed it in a new
genus ''Vaginalis'' and coined the
binomial name
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Vaginalis alba''. Gmelin based his description on the "white sheath-bill" that had been described and illustrated in 1785 by the English ornithologist
John Latham
in his ''A General Synopsis of Birds ''. Latham erroneously believed that the bird was found in New Zealand. The
type locality was designated as the
Falkland Islands by
Baron Bradford and
Charles Chubb in 1912. The snowy sheathbill is now placed in the genus ''
Chionis
The sheathbills are a family (biology), family of birds, Chionidae. Classified in the wader order Charadriiformes, the family consists of one genus, ''Chionis'' with two species. They breed on subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, an ...
'' that was introduced in 1788 by the German naturalist
Johann Reinhold Forster.
The genus name is from the
Ancient Greek ''khiōn'' meaning snow. The specific epithet ''albus'' is
Latin meaning "white". The species is
monotypic: no
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
are recognised.
[
]
Description
A snowy sheathbill is about long, with a wingspan of . It is pure white except for its pink, warty face; its Latin name translates to "snow white".
Distribution and habitat
The snowy sheathbill lives in Antarctica, the Scotia Arc, the South Orkneys, and South Georgia
South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east ...
. Snowy sheathbills living very far south migrate north in winter.
Feeding
The snowy sheathbill does not have webbed feet. It finds its food on land. It is an omnivore
An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...
, a scavenger
Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding b ...
, and a kleptoparasite and will eat nearly anything. It steals regurgitated krill and fish from penguins when feeding their chicks and will eat their eggs and chicks if given the opportunity. Sheathbills also eat carrion, animal feces, and, where available, human waste. It has been known to eat tapeworms that have been living in a chinstrap penguin's intestine.
Gallery
Image:Flying sheathbill.jpg, Flying sheathbill
Image:2019-03-03 165 Snowy sheathbill (Chionis albus), Barrientos Island, Antarctica.jpg, This snowy sheathbill is watched carefully by a chinstrap penguin, as they are predators of penguin chicks and eggs
Image:Pochwodziob (js).jpg, Eating regurgitated penguin chick food
Image:Snowy Sheathbill walks by an Antarctic Fur Seal (5893495431).jpg, Snowy sheathbill walks by an Antarctic fur seal, at Cooper Bay, South Georgia
Image:2019-03-03 159 Snowy sheathbill (Chionis albus), Barrientos Island, Antarctica.jpg, Adult snowy sheathbill, on Barrientos Island
References
Birds of Antarctica
snowy sheathbill
Birds of islands of the Atlantic Ocean
Birds of subantarctic islands
Graham Land
snowy sheathbill
snowy sheathbill
{{Charadriiformes-stub