| Snowy Sheathbill | |
|---|---|
| A Snowy Sheathbill (Chionis albus) | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Chionididae |
| Genus: | Chionis |
| Species: | C. albus |
| Binomial name | |
| Chionis albus Gmelin, 1789 |
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| Synonyms | |
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The Snowy Sheathbill (Chionis albus) also known as a Pale-faced sheathbill or Paddy is one of two species of sheathbill. It is usually found on the ground. It is Antarctica's only permanently land-based bird.[3]
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A Snowy Sheathbill is about 15-16 inches long, with a wingspan of 30-31.5 inches. They are pure white except for their pink warty faces (Chionis albus means "snow white".)[4]
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.[3]
Because Snowy Sheathbills do not have webbed feet, they would have difficulty fishing for food. Instead, they scavenge food on land.
Sheathbills are omnivores and specialize in kleptoparasitism. They steal krill and fish from penguins and sometimes eat their eggs and down-covered chicks. They also eat carrion, feces, invertebrates and, where available, human waste. Snowy Sheathbills have also been known to eat tapeworms that have been living in a Chinstrap Penguin's intestine.[4]