Multi-modal survey of Adelie penguin mega-colonies reveals the Danger Islands as a seabird hotspot.

ABSTRACT: Despite concerted international effort to track and interpret shifts in the abundance and distribution of Adélie penguins, large populations continue to be identified. Here we report on a major hotspot of Adélie penguin abundance identified in the Danger Islands off the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP). We present the first complete census of Pygoscelis spp. penguins in the Danger Islands, estimated from a multi-modal survey consisting of direct ground counts and computer-automated counts of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery. Our survey reveals that the Danger Islands host 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins, more than the rest of AP region combined, and include the third and fourth largest Adélie penguin colonies in the world. Our results validate the use of Landsat medium-re

SUBMITTER: Borowicz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5834637 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature