Sea Birds Observed during the Third Indian Antarctic Expedition

Abstract

The avian fauna of the southern oceans is rich and varied especially south of the sub-tropical convergence where the ocean is more productive at all the levels. The author had the opportunity of watching the sea birds between Mauritius and Antarctica during the Third Indian Expedition to the Antarctica (1983-'84). The birds observed generally belonged to penguins, albatrosses, petrels, prions, noodies, fulamrs, terns ans sku as. A total of 34 species were observed which come under 22 genera and seven families of which eight species were found to occur in the Antarctic continent and the adjacent sea.