Humboldt Penguin

The Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) is a medium-sized penguin. It resides in South America, along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African penguin, the Magellanic penguin and the Galápagos penguin. The Humboldt penguin and the cold water current it swims in are both named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. The species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN with no population recovery plan in place. The current wild population is composed of roughly 23,800 mature individuals and is declining. It is a migrant species. Humboldt penguins nest on islands and rocky coasts, burrowing holes in guano and sometimes using scrapes or caves. In South Amer...

The Humboldt penguin is a top predator endemic to the west coast of South America. The Humboldt penguin's breeding distribution ranges from southern Chile along the dry and arid coastal regions of the Atacama Desert to subtropical Isla Foca in north Peru. Its range is restricted to the coast and offshore islands affected by the Humboldt current, which provides a continuous supply of nutrients and food, thus supporting huge populations of seabird. In Chile, the most important breeding colony is at Isla Chañaral. In July 2002, a Humboldt penguin was caught in a fishing net off the coast of Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. The penguin was released from the net, and eventually sent back to the water by one of the fishermen. This is the first and only record of a penguin in the wild in North America. It is unknown whether the penguin was a wild penguin or an escaped pet or zoo animal.

Peru

The Humboldt penguin feeds predominantly on pelagic schooling fish. The consumption of cephalopods (namely Antarctic flying squid) and crustaceans vary between populations. Northern colonies consume primarily Atlantic saury and garfish, whilst southern populations primarily consume anchovy, Araucanian herring, silver-side, pilchard and squid. There are seasonal differences in the Humboldt penguin's diet that reflect the changes in availability of fish species across seasons.

The Humboldt penguin has different calls that it uses to communicate in different ways. The function of its calls are consistent among Spheniscus species. If an individual comes too close to an adult Humboldt penguin, the Yell is a warning call which is followed by pecking or chasing if ignored. A higher density of penguins leads to more territorial and aggressive behaviours, which leads to more Yells. The Throb is a soft call between pairs at the nest, used by incubating birds when their mates return to the nest. The Haw is a short call given by juveniles alone in the water and by paired birds when one is on the water and the other is on land. It has significant individual variation in duration and frequency. The Bray is a long call used to attract a mate and advertise a territory during the pre-laying and pre-hatching periods. It is an individually distinct call in all variables: syllables per call, duration, inter-syllable intervals, duration of syllables and frequency. When calling, the bird points its head upwards and flaps its flippers slowly. The Courtship Bray is similar to the Bray, however a different posture is assumed and is given synchronously by pairs during the pre-laying period: the birds stand together pointing their necks and head up, with flippers out to the side. The Peep is given by chicks begging for food.

The Humboldt penguin nests in loose colonies, with most pairs laying two eggs of the same size 4 days apart that require 41 days of incubation. Their breeding schedule is adjusted depending on the abundance of food. They breed immediately after moulting, when food is abundant and solar radiation is reduced. The Humboldt penguin lay eggs from March to December, but also with peaks in April and August–September, due to individuals having a second clutch. Half of the females successfully have two clutches per year and most were double broods. If pairs lose their eggs during the first breeding season, they lay a new clutch within 1–4 months. The incubation shifts last, on average, 2.5 days, before one parent takes over and allows the other to forage. There are no differences in the contribution to provisioning from the male and female parents. Chicks hatch generally 2 days apart. Chicks are semi-altricial and nidicolous and guarded by one parent while the other forages. Chicks are fed only once every day. Chicks are left unattended at the nest site after a certain age and both parents forage simultaneously.

Humboldt penguins are medium-sized penguins, growing to 56–70 cm (22–28 in) long and a weight of 2.9 to 6 kg (6.4 to 13.2 lb). The sex of the Humboldt penguin cannot be recognised via differences in plumage, as they are monomorphic. The male is heavier and larger than the females. Their sex can be determined via head width and bill length; the male has a longer bill than the female. While all the Spheniscus penguins are close to each other in size, the Humboldt penguin is the heaviest species in the genus, with 123 females weighing 4.05 kg (8.9 lb) on average and 165 males averaging 4.7 kg (10 lb). Humboldt penguins have a black head with a white border that runs from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, and joins at the throat. They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with a black breast-band that extends down the flanks to the thigh. They have a fleshy-pink base to the bill. Juveniles have dark heads and no breast-band. They have spines on their tongue which they use to hold their prey.

Humboldt penguins were given legal protection in 1977 by the Peruvian Government and listed in Appendix I of the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Both Peru and Chile have implemented the CITES under national law. It is categorised as vulnerable due to extreme population size fluctuations, clustered distribution and the major threats to the species not being ameliorated over time. In August 2010 the Humboldt penguin of Chile and Peru, was granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Most penguins breed within protected areas. Peruvian legislation categorises the species as endangered and prohibits the hunting, possession, capture, transportation and export of the bird for commercial purposes. Chile implemented a 30-year hunting ban in 1995 forbidding hunting, transport, possession and commercialisation of penguins. In 2017 a large mining project proposed by the company Andes Iron in Chile was vetoed due to the possible environmental impact on the penguins, though that decision was subsequently overturned. As of August 2020, the species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a declining population of roughly 23,800 mature adults. Climate change, commercial overfishing of main prey species (sardines and anchovy) and bycatch in commercial and artisanal fisheries are all contributing factors in the species' decline. Rats, feral cats and dog attacks threaten some colonies. Historically, the Humboldt penguin population was impacted by the extraction of guano from their breeding colonies, which reduced the available habitat for burrowing and nesting.

Both the Humboldt penguin and the Humboldt current were named after Alexander von Humboldt. It is known in Peru as the pajaro-niño, which translates to "baby-bird", due to their waddling gait and flightless wings held out suggesting the image of an infant toddling on the beach.