The Snowy Sheathbill is unique as the only land based - non-swimming bird that lives in Antarctica. There is only one other species in this small family. It also lives in adjacent South America and the Falkland Islands.
This is a very opportunistic bird that will eat basically anything of nutritional value.
Classification:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Chionididae
Genus: Chionis
Species: C. alba
Photos:
Snowy Sheathbill
In the Gentoo colony at Port Lockroy, Wiencke Island Antarctica. January 1998. K200
Photo courtesy of brad.schram
Snowy Sheathbill close and personal
"Port Lockroy, Antarctica. More Snowy Sheathbill images can be found on my web site at www.birdinfo.com"
Photo courtesy of mgsbird
Tough feet on a Snowy Sheathbill
"The sheathbill is the only non-swimming bird that regularly frequents Antarctica. Apparently the majority of them migrate across the Drake Passage to winter in Tierra del Fuego. This image shows the distinctive stout feet and white plumage of the sheathbill. Photographed at Hydrurga Rocks, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica."
Photo courtesy of mgsbird
Snowy Sheathbill at Carcass Island
Close-up of a curious bird. It just about walked between my legs!
Photo courtesy of jeroenf
Video:
Commentary:
Day 7 - Elsehul, Right Whale Bay and Sailsbury Plain, South Georgia
A Snowy sheathbill. These birds eat up the pengiun poop. This one is getting ready to land….. …….on the head of John Sparks. John worked for the BBC for many years. It really was a privel… Read more…
Solo Claire - Antarctica - Christmas Eve
One was obviously frustrated by its futile efforts and we watched in awe as it snatched a Snowy Sheathbill clean out of the air. It devoured it stripping long chunks of meat with its cruel shar… Read more…
birding tierra del fuego, argentina
i was thrilled to see a dozen snowy sheathbill at the southern sea lion colony near the lighthouse. although it was early in the season at the penguin colony, the males had arrived and were est… Read more…
expand your birdy horizons: snowy sheathbill
the only antarctic bird lacking webbed feet, the snowy sheathbill therefore depends primarily on scavenging for food. its diet is one that many would consider unsavory, and it has been nickname… Read more…
at one point i saw a snowy sheathbill pick up a paintbrush that colin wasn’t using at the moment, so he had to quickly grab it back (apparently he had chosen a spot too near the sheathbill�… Read more…
Young shutterbug makes National Geographic site - Latest from the …
Nolin published a story about that time on National Geographic’s Web site and used Colleen’s photos of a seal yawning, a snowy sheathbill sitting and a blue-eyes shag in flight to illus… Read more…
