First record of an Adélie penguin at sub-Antarctic Marion island

Abstract

Background: The sub-Antarctic Prince Edward Archipelago (46°53′S, 37°52′E), consisting of Marion and Prince Edward islands, is situated in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, approximately 2 600 km away from the closest Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) breeding locality, Bouvet Island (54°25′S; 3°22′E). Methods: Two opportunistic sightings of an Adélie penguin at Marion Island on 28 October 2015 at Ship's Cove and Transvaal Cove, at 9 am and 5 pm respectively. Results and Conclusions: This is the first record of an Adélie penguin at Marion Island. An Adélie penguin was observed twice on the same day at two separate beaches approximately 2.5 km apart and appeared to be in good health. We assumed that the same penguin has been sighted twice due to the time lapse between the two sightings. Previously, 29 vagrant bird species have been recorded at Marion Island, including chinstrap (Pygoscelis Antarctica) and Magellanic (Spheniscus magellanicus) penguins. Extralimital sightings of penguins, as observed in this study, could potentially be a result of navigational errors due to severe storms or anomalous ocean conditions acting independently or in concert with other factors such as young age or poor health.