Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti)
Humboldt penguins are thought to be declining in number. One of the reasons is due to El Nino increasing water temperatures and reducing food supply. They breed on the Pacific coast of South America and offshore islands of Chile and Peru.
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Desert penguins
Beach crossing
Andes to Amazon
Navigating through a throng of sealions is a daunting prospect for Humboldt penguins.
Featured in the following TV programmes
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Archived
Andes to Amazon: PENGUIN SHORES
6th of a 6 part series exploring the wildlife & wild places of South America. Looks at the wildlife of the South American coast, especially penguins.
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Archived
South Pacific: Endless Blue
A look at sharks and whales that go to great lengths to survive in the South Pacific.
About the Humboldt penguin
The Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) (also termed Peruvian Penguin, or Patranca) is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin. The penguin is named after the cold water current it swims in, which is itself named after Alexander von Humboldt, an explorer.
Humboldt Penguins are medium-sized penguins, growing to 65-70 cm (26-28 in) long and a weight of 3.6-5.9 kg (8-13 lbs). They have a black head with a white border running from behind the eye, around the black ear-coverts and chin, to join on the throat. They have blackish-grey upperparts and whitish underparts, with a black breast-band extending 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.
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Scientific Classification
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Penguin (Spheniscidae)
Genus: Banded penguin (Spheniscus)
Species: Humboldt Penguin (humboldti)
Other Spheniscus
- Magellanic penguin (magellanicus)
Common Names
- Patranca
- Peruvian penguin
The Humboldt penguin is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
This region contains the following habitats:
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder
Conservation Status
The Humboldt penguin is Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- Humboldt penguin - Spheniscus humboldti (arkive.org)
- Spheniscus humboldti (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Penguin Project: in-depth information (mesh.biology.washington.edu)
- Antarctic Connection: fact file (antarcticconnection.com)
- Humboldt Penguin (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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