Mike Unwin

Magellanic Penguin

About the Magellanic Penguin

Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) are species native to the southern coasts of South America, specifically Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands. They are named after the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who first documented them in 1520.

They have a distinctive black-and-white colouration with two black bands between the head and the chest, the lower band shaped in an inverted horseshoe. Their eyes are dark brown.

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Commonality of Magallenic Penguins

Since 2004, Magellanic penguins have been listed as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.

Protection & Threats

Magellanic penguins are currently classified as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Major threats include oil spills, overfishing of their prey species, and climate change, which can affect their breeding and feeding grounds.

Climate Change

Climate change that increases the frequency and intensity of storms results in more reproductive failure of Magellanic penguins, a pattern likely to apply to many species breeding in the region.