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Photo © by Ronald B. Davis.
Northwest shore of Carcass Island, Falkland Islands, 11 January 2011
Alternate names: Pale-faced Sheathbill, American Sheathbill
- Chionis albus
Identification
Size 34-41 cm (13½-16¼ in), wing 23.4-26.0 cm, wingspan 74-84 cm and weight 460-780 g.
Adult: Medium sized, plump hen-like, all white bird;
Sexes essentially the same with males being generally larger.
Juvenile: Similar but freckled and with reduced facial caruncles and bill sheath.
Distribution
South Georgia, South Orkney, South Shetland and Antarctic peninsula, also non-breeder north to the Falklands and southeastern South America in Patagonia, Uruguay and exceptionally northeast Brazil.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Rocky seacoasts.
Behaviour
Fearless - allows close approach, including contact. Will land on ships and explore every possible food source, heedless of human proximity.
Breeding
Normally breeds near penguin or cormorant colonies, nest usually consists of a pile of debris in a cavity, Nests Oct-Mar, eggs usually 2-3 in Dec-Jan and incubated for 28-32 days, fledging occupies 50-60 days, fledging Mar.
Diet
Omnivorous, stealing krill, fish and other marine prey from penguins, including eggs and small chicks, also carrion, faeces and human refuse.
Action
Usually walking across open ground with pigeon like bobbing of head.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Burger, A.E. & Kirwan, G.M. (2018). Snowy Sheathbill (Chionis albus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/53952 on 7 June 2018).
- Fang, E. D. (2010). Snowy Sheathbill (Chionis albus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.snoshe2.01
