Africa’s only resident penguin species is now officially critically endangered, according to a recent assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Over the past century, the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) has suffered precipitous declines in its population. In the mid-1950s, there were an estimated 141,000 breeding pairs of African penguins, or 282,000 […]
Tag: penguins
Tiny Fossil Illuminates Penguin’s Surprisingly Useful Wings and How They Evolved
Sometimes, certain aspects of an animal’s biology can seem completely redundant, such as the tiny arms of a T. rex, or wings on a flightless bird. But thanks to a recent study of fossilized penguin wings, researchers were able to pinpoint when these birds had turned their seemingly pointless wings into powerful diving aides. A […]
Protected Blue Penguins Die After Dog Attack
Three of the world’s smallest penguins have been found dead after being attacked by a dog in New Zealand. The penguins, known as kororā or little blue penguins, were attacked at the Evans Bay Marina in Wellington, where they had been nesting. The species has seen huge population declines due to predation by dogs, cats, […]
One of the World’s Oldest Penguins Hatches a Chick with New Boy Toy 26 Years Younger
A great-great-great grandmother Humboldt pengiun in England’s blustery eastern coast has brought a member of yet another generation into the world after she shacked up with a bird 20-plus years her junior. Windy surprised everyone at the zoo when during the last breeding season she paired with 4-year-old Nacho. A pairing doesn’t guarantee that mating […]
African Penguins Face Dire Future as Fish Stocks Decline
Conservationists watch and note as Penguin 999.000000007425712 returns to the Stony Point colony in Betty’s Bay, South Africa, after a day of foraging. She left early in the morning weighing 2.7 kg and returned having gained only 285 grams, a worrying sign of dwindling fish stocks. Eleanor Weideman, a coastal seabird project manager for BirdLife […]
Little Penguins on Penguin Island Face Extinction
A population of little penguins on Penguin Island, just off the coast of Perth, is now at a critical low, with only about 120 birds remaining. This dramatic decline, representing a two-thirds drop in just five years, is further threatened by proposed developments, including a container port in nearby foraging grounds. Recent studies reveal a […]
Penguins in peril: why two bird charities are taking South Africa’s environment minister to court
It’s 3.40pm on a Thursday and Penguin 999.000000007425712 has just returned to the Stony Point penguin colony in Betty’s Bay, South Africa, after a day of foraging. She glides elegantly through the turquoise waters before clambering comically up the rocks towards the nest where her partner is incubating two beige eggs. She doesn’t realise it, […]
Video: South Georgia and the Falkland Islands
On October 29th I packed my bags for a trip of a lifetime to perhaps the most remote place I have ever been – South Georgia Island. Before this trip I had never been anywhere close to this far south. I had never been so far out at sea. And I had definitely never seen […]