BGS Hosted Metadata
Ringing data and resightings of snowy sheathbills (Chionis albus) from Bird Island, South Georgia, September 2024 to September 2025
This dataset contains ringing data of snowy sheathbills (Chionis albus) captured, ringed and released on Bird Island, South Georgia from September 2024 to September 2025, as well as subsequent resightings of birds throughout the year. Ringing data includes summary morphometrics including size and weight measurements. Resightings were made on an ad-hoc basis but represent high effort throughout the year.
Data were collected as part of an initial study of sheathbills at Bird Island, aiming to discern population structure, comparative morphometrics with Antarctic birds, and for sexing via discriminant functions. Data were collected by Bird Island Zoological Field Assistants.
Funded as part of the BAS Bird Island Long-term Monitoring Programme.
Simple
- Date (Creation)
- 2025-10-27
- Date (Revision)
- 2025-10-27
- Date (Publication)
- 2025-10-27
- Date (released)
- 2025-10-27
- Edition
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1.0
- Unique resource identifier
- https://doi.org/10.5285/231b4167-5910-4107-83de-72d6a20d159d
- Codespace
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doi
- Unique resource identifier
- GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02098
- Codespace
- Other citation details
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Please cite this item as: Day, G., Callaghan, J., Rayner, C., Tarrant, P., & Bennison, A. (2025). Ringing data and resightings of snowy sheathbills (Chionis albus) from Bird Island, South Georgia, September 2024 to September 2025 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/231b4167-5910-4107-83de-72d6a20d159d
- Credit
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No credit.
- Status
- Completed
- Point of contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role British Antarctic Survey Day, George Author British Antarctic Survey Callaghan, Jessica
Author British Antarctic Survey Rayner, Charlotte
Author British Antarctic Survey Tarrant, Peter
Author British Antarctic Survey Bennison, Ashley Author NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Point of contact
- Maintenance and update frequency
- As needed
- Maintenance note
- Completed
- Theme
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Bird Island
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Chionis albus
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South Georgia
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bird ecology
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morphometrics
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population dynamics
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ringing data
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snowy sheathbill
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- Place
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King Edward Point South Georgia Island
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Bird Island South Georgia Island
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GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0
- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
- no limitations to public access
- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
- no limitations
- Use constraints
- License
- Other constraints
- Open Government Licence v3.0
- Use constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
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This data is governed by the NERC Data Policy: https://www.ukri.org/who-we-are/nerc/our-policies-and-standards/nerc-data-policy/
- Use constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
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This data is governed by the NERC data policy and supplied under Open Government Licence v.3
- Use constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
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None.
- Unique resource identifier
- doi
- Codespace
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doi
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- url
- Codespace
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url
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- url
- Codespace
-
url
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Spatial representation type
- Text, table
- Language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Topic category
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- Biota
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- Begin date
- 2024-09-01
- End date
- 2025-09-05
- Supplemental Information
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It is recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of any data, and that the author be contacted with any questions regarding appropriate use. If you find any errors or omissions, please report them to polardatacentre@bas.ac.uk.
- Title
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European Petroleum Survey Group (EPSG) Geodetic Parameter Registry
- Date (Publication)
- 2008-11-12
- Cited responsible party
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role European Petroleum Survey Group
Publisher
- Unique resource identifier
- urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::3031
- Version
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6.18.3
Distributor
- Distributor contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Distributor
- Distributor format
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Name Version text/csv
- Units of distribution
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bytes
- Transfer size
- 61440
- OnLine resource
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Protocol Linkage Name WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link
http://ramadda.data.bas.ac.uk/repository/entry/show?entryid=231b4167-5910-4107-83de-72d6a20d159d Get Data
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Statement
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Methodology:
From September 2024 to September 2025, sheathbills were caught and ringed at Bird Island Research Station, South Georgia (54°00'S; 38°03'W). Catching was primarily carried out at Freshwater Beach, Bird Island, where the Research Station is located. However, birds were also caught across several beaches on the south of the island. Methods for catching largely consisted of the use of a hand-net and head/leg noosing.
Once caught, birds were ringed with a metal F (inside diameter: 9mm) or G (inside diameter: 11mm) British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) ring, with Fs being applied to all birds with a tarsus diameter < 8mm. Birds caught as adults were ringed with the metal ring on the right tarsus and known-age chicks on the left tarsus. Birds were also colour banded on the opposite leg using a blue or yellow darvic ring, depending on the location. Zones for darvic colour allocation were determined based on proximity to the Research Station - with blue rings used at the base and along the south and south-western coast of the island, and yellow elsewhere. The first three birds ringed did not receive a darvic as they were part of a pilot study investigating which size of BTO ring would fit.
Once ringed, measurements were taken including: wing length (flattened chord), culmen length (from the tip of the upper mandible to the edge of the feathering at the base of the skull), culmen depth (the maximum depth between the bill without sheath and under the edge of the lower mandible), culmen width (the maximum width of the mandible without the sheath), sheath length (from the edge of the sheath to the edge of the feathering at the base of the skull), sheath depth (the maximum depth between the upper edge of the sheath and under the edge of the lower mandible), tarsus length (the minimum tarsus length), tarsus depth (the maximum depth of the from the anterior to the posterior of the leg) and mass. Field age was recorded using EURING age codes. The EURING age coding system was designed in the northern hemisphere based on the calendar year January to December. For use in the southern hemisphere, where the breeding season occurs at the opposite end of year, it must be adapted. As such, years are considered to begin in June rather than January. Where birds were found to be in moult, moult scores were determined following Bensch and Grahn's standardised methodology (Bensch and Grahn 1993). Primary feathers are assigned a score between 0 and 5 based on their age, which together indicates which stage of moult the bird is in.
Resightings were almost all made from locations across Bird Island, with the exception of one resighting from King Edward Point, South Georgia, and one from onboard from the Fishery Patrol Vessel Pharos.
Data quality:
Field_sex and field_age were determined by field observations and so may be inaccurate.
Where morphometric data are missing, this is due to the bird having been released immediately after ringing to avoid stress.
Metadata
- File identifier
- 231b4167-5910-4107-83de-72d6a20d159d XML
- Metadata language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Hierarchy level name
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dataset
- Date stamp
- 2025-10-27
- Metadata standard name
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ISO 19115 Geographic Information - Metadata
- Metadata standard version
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ISO 19115:2003(E)
- Metadata author
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Point of contact
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