Black-faced Sheathbill - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: Lesser Sheathbill

Photo by DerekH42
Crozet Island, November 2003

Chionis minor

Identification

38-41cm

• White plumage
• Black bill, caruncles and facial skin

A chunky, short-necked bird rather like a pigeon

Distribution

Breeds on subantarctic archipelagos: Marion Island and Prince Edward Island; Crozet Archipelago, Kerguelen Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Island.

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are four subspecies:

• C. m. marionensis:

• Marion and Prince Edward islands

• C. m. crozettensis:

• Crozet Islands

• C. m. minor:

• Kerguelen Islands

• C. m. nasicornis:

• Heard and McDonald islands

Habitat

Subantarctic islands.

Behaviour

Scavenge at penguin and seal colonies for eggs, food regurgitated for penguin chicks, seal placantae and umbilical cords, and other carrion.²

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Underhill L. 2002. Lesser Sheathbill Chionis minor ("Paddy"). Avian Demography Unit, University of Cape Town. Downloaded from web.uct.ac.za on 9 September 2008.
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Black-faced Sheathbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-faced_Sheathbill

External Links

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