Snowy Sheathbill
Chionis albus
Unique, stocky, and rather pigeonlike white bird (actually an aberrant shorebird) of Antarctic Peninsula and islands. Migrates north in winter to Tierra del Fuego and southern Argentina, where a few immatures remain year-round at sea lion and penguin colonies. Typically unafraid; walks around boldly to scavenge and even eat feces. Plumage entirely white (somehow remarkably clean given its habits) with a naked pale pinkish face and a pale green and orange bill. Flies strongly with stiff wingbeats; does not alight on water, but will hitch rides on ships.
Identification
A snowy sheathbill is about 380–410 mm (15–16 in) long, with a wingspan of 760–800 mm (30–31 in). It is pure white except for its pink, warty face; its Latin name translates to "snow white".<p>Sheathbills spend 86% of their day hunting for food and the other 14% resting.
Taxonomy
The snowy sheathbill was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it in a new genus Vaginalis and coined the binomial name Vaginalis alba. Gmelin based his description on the "white sheath-bill" that had been described and illustrated in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Lathamin his A General Synopsis of Birds . Latham erroneously believed that the bird was found in New Zealand. The type locality was designated as the Falkland Islands by Baron Bradford and Charles Chubb in 1912. The snowy sheathbill is now placed in the genus Chionis that was introduced in 1788 by the German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek khiōn meaning snow. The specific epithet albus is Latin meaning "white". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Chionis albus
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Chionidae
- Genus
- Chionis
Range and habitat
The snowy sheathbill lives in Antarctica, the Scotia Arc, the South Orkneys, and South Georgia. Snowy sheathbills living very far south migrate north in winter.
- Breeding range
- AN : Antarctic Pen. and satellites, South Shetland, South Orkney, and South Georgia is.
- Non-breeding range
- to coastal sc Chile and ec Argentina to Cape Horn and Falkland Is.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
Medium-sized green lorikeet with yellow ‘scales’ on the breast. Note bright red bill and orange-red underwings. Much shorter-tailed than Rainbow Lorikeet. Typically occurs in woodland habitats in eastern Australia, but is also present in parks and gardens. Call is similar to Rainbow Lorikeet, but smoother and less squawky.
Waterfall Swift
Hydrochous gigas
Largish dark swift with a stumpy body and a forked tail. As the name would suggest, associated with mountain waterfalls in forest areas; nests are placed close to the spray. Uniformly brown; larger and more long-winged than swiftlets. Sometimes forages in mixed flocks with other swifts, such as needletails.
Gabon Boubou
Laniarius bicolor
Chunky black-and-white bushshrike. There is a white slash across the wing, and the underparts are pure white. Uses habitats that include marsh, gallery forest and woodland, thick scrub, and mangroves. Found in pairs, which usually skulk, but sometimes hop about in the open. Song is a perfectly synchronized duet in which the male gives a hollow rising whistle and the female a low ratchet. Similar to Tropical Boubou, but easily separated by lack of rufous tones to the underparts and different vocalizations.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.