Wildlife
Magellanic penguins live in temperate climates, not in the Antarctic. In the breeding season the parents share the babysitting duties, one incubating the chick while the other goes out to sea to feed. The chick gets a meal every two to three days.
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Penguins on the hunt
Ungainly on land, penguins are literally in their element underwater where they appear to fly.
Ungainly on land, penguins are literally in their element underwater where they appear to fly.
Forest penguins
Penguins are unexpected forest inhabitants, but they prove surprisingly adaptable - if the sealions don't get them.
Penguins are unexpected forest inhabitants, but they prove surprisingly adaptable - if the sealions don't get them.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Magellanic penguin can be found in a number of locations including: South America. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Magellanic penguin distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Near Threatened
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil where they are occasionally seen as far north as Rio de Janeiro. It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins. Its nearest relatives are the African, the Humboldt and the Galápagos Penguins. The Magellanic penguin was named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who spotted the birds in 1520.
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Helpless young
Adapted to swimming
Carnivorous
Colonial
Courtship display
Burrower
Tactile sense
Acoustic communication
Monogamous
Moulting
Egg layer
Parental investment
Predator
Social
Territorial
Visual communication