The Magellanic Penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus, is a South
American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the
Falkland Islands, with some migrating
to Brazil. It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins.
Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Humboldt
Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin.
Penguins are medium-sized penguins which grow to be 6176
cm (2430 in) tall and weigh between 2.7 kg and 6.5 kg
(5.9-14.3 lbs). The males are larger than the females and the weight
of both drops while the parents nurture their young.
Adults have black backs and white stomachs. There are two black
bands between the head and the breast, with the lower band
shaped in an inverted horseshoe. The head is black with a broad
white border that runs from behind the eye, around the
black ear-coverts and chin, and joins at the throat. Chicks and
younger penguins have grey-blue backs, with a more faded
grey-blue color on their chest. Magellanic Penguins can live up
to 25 years in the wild, but as much as 30 years in captivity.
Magellanic Penguins feed in the water, preying on cuttlefish, sardines,
squid, krill, and other crustaceans.
Since they ingest sea water with their prey, a salt-excreting gland
has evolved to filter out the salt.
Magellanic Penguins travel in large flocks when hunting for food.
In the breeding season, these birds gather in large nesting
colonies at the coasts of Argentina, southern Chile, and the Falkland
Islands, which have a density of 20 nests per
100 square meters. One of the largest of these colonies is located
at Punta Tombo. Nests are built under bushes or in burrows.
Two eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 3942 days, a task which
the parents share in 10-15 day shifts.
The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed
every 23 days.
Normally both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally
only one chick is raised.
Magellanic Penguins mate with the same partner year after year.
The male reclaims his burrow from the previous year and
waits to reconnect with his female partner. The females are able
to recognize their mates through their call alone.
Millions of these penguins still live on the coasts of Chile and
Argentina, but the species is classified as "Threatened species,"
primarily due to the vulnerability of large breeding colonies to
oil spills, which kill 20,000 adults and 22,000 juveniles
every year off the coast of Argentina. The decline of fish populations
is also responsible, as well as predators such as sea
and giant petrels, which prey on the chicks
Magellanic penguin breeding home and rookery located at Punta
Researchers are particularly concerned with the Magellanic
penguin breeding home and rookery located at Punta Tombo in
Argentina. Between the late 1960s and early 1980s, scientists
believe the penguin population at Punta Tombo may have peaked
at about 400,000 breeding pairs. But by 1997 that number had
gone down to some 250,000 pairs of penguins and some ten years
later the population stood at 200,000 breeding pairs.
While scientists believe that over fishing
and coastal development may account for this plummeting population,
oil pollution also plays a role. As they ingest oil from preening
their feathers, the penguins immune systems are put
at risk and the animals become more prone to disease. Whats
more, the oil gives rise to lesions in the penguins
stomachs and as a result the animals have difficulty digesting
In addition, penguins which encounter oil
on the high seas have problems staying warm in cold south
Atlantic waters. The oiled penguins wind up seeking refuge
on land, but many of the shivering creatures will perish.
Thats because oil destroys the insulating quality of
penguins feathers. Consequently, the oiled penguin dies
of hypothermia. For years, penguins have been washing up on
the Patagonian shore coated with oil. At Punta Tombo the scene
has been pitiful: arriving penguins must pass over other dead
penguins covered in oil.
by Nikolas Kozloff, special to mongabay.com (March 15, 2010).
Argentine Sovereignty Wont Solve the Problem.
(Spheniscus magellanicus)i en grop,
San Julian, Patagonia.
Magellanic penguin in a burrow, San Julian.
Unlike all other breeding species of the
Scotia Sea, Magellanic penguins nest in burrows. Their colonies
can be found on beaches, sandy coasts, sometimes even in shrub
thickets or coastal forests. They number 5-10 million in mainland
South America, but there are also 100,000 pairs on the Falkland,
and over 600,000 at Tierra del Fuego. They seldom get far
from shore, moving north up to Brazil in winter. However,
vagrant individuals have been recorded as far as New Zealand
Territorial display, San Julian.
Molting Magellanic penguin chicks, San Julian.
Magellanic penguins in a nesting niche, San Julian.
Sometimes they don't excavate a burrow,
but nest in a niche made in the shade of a shrub. They start
breeding in August or September, and lay two eggs.
penguin chick in a nesting niche, San Julian
Fledging Magellanic penguin, San Julian.
Magellanic penguins are fiercely territorial
at nests, but often engage in cooperative feeding at sea.
Their main food is small pelagic fish, sometimes squid. Their
numbers are slowly decreasing, particularly in Argentina.
Two couples in a territorial dispute, San Julian
Penguins of Punta Tombo, Argentina