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Snowy Sheathbill

Chionis albus

Published on Project Noah
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-63.522, -56.8783

Field Notes

Description:

All white feathers. Feet are not webbed. Lack of feathers near beak would suggest it might eat carrion. Saw just these two, together at this day's zodiac landing.

Notes:

Wikipedia says: It is an omnivore, a scavenger, and a kleptoparasite. It steals krill and fish from penguins and sometimes eats their eggs and down-covered chicks. It also eats 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.

Size: About 380–410 mm (15–16 in) long, with a wingspan of 760–800 mm (30–31 in).

Range: Lives in Antarctica, the Scotia Arc, the South Orkneys, and South Georgia. Snowy sheathbills living very far south migrate north in winter.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (3)

Spotted for Missions

Photographed
PublishedApril 7, 2016

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