Name details

Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No. 102, Rookery Islands, Holme Bay

Informal Antarctic/sub-Antarctic Gazetteer Id 50039

Feature type: Protected area

Origin

This name originates from Australia. It is part of the Informal Antarctic/sub-Antarctic Gazetteer.

Narrative

FORMERLY: Specially Protected Area (SPA) No. 2, Rookery Islands, Holme Bay The Rookery Islands contain breeding colonies of six bird species resident in the Mawson area; Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae), Cape petrel (Daption capensis), snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea), southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus), Wilson's storm petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) and the Antarctic skua (Catharacta maccormicki). The southern giant petrel breeds nowhere else in the region. The designation of the Area aims to safeguard this unusual association of six species and ensure the preservation of a sample offshore island habitat.

There are approximately 75 small islands. They range in size from small rocks which barely remain above water at high tide to the largest members of the group which are Giganteus Island (approximately 400 m long, 400 m wide and 30 m high) and Rookery Island which is of similar area but slightly more elongated. Rookery Island is the highest of the group reaching an altitude of 62m. Raised beaches are evident on Giganteus Island.

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