Chinstrap Penguin

Chinstrap Penguin

Ringed penguin, Bearded penguin, Stonecracker penguin

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Pygoscelis antarcticus
Population size
8 Mln
Life Span
15-20 years
Top speed
32
20
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
3-6
6.6-13.2
kglbs
kg lbs 
Height
60-68
23.6-26.8
cminch
cm inch 

The chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus ) is a species of penguin that inhabits a variety of islands and shores in the Southern Pacific and the Antarctic Oceans. Its name stems from the narrow black band under its head, which makes it appear as if it were wearing a black helmet, making it easy to identify. The Chinstrap penguin is also known as Ringed penguin, Bearded penguin, and Stonecracker penguin, due to its loud, harsh call.

Appearance

The adult Chinstrap's flippers are black with a white edge; the inner sides of the flippers are white. The face is white extending behind the eyes, which are reddish brown; the chin and throat are white, as well, while the short bill is black. The strong legs and the webbed feet are pink. Its short, stumpy legs give it a distinct waddle when it walks. The Chinstrap penguin's black back and white underside provide camouflage in the form of countershading when viewed from above or below, helping to avoid detection by its predators. Males are greater in weight and height than females.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Chinstrap penguins breed in Antarctica, Argentina, Bouvet Island, Chile, the French Southern Territories, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. They live along coastlines as well as on islands and icebergs.

Chinstrap Penguin habitat map

Climate zones

Chinstrap Penguin habitat map
Chinstrap Penguin
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Habits and Lifestyle

Chinstrap penguins are highly social birds, gathering in large colonies, where they live and breed. These near-shore feeders forage in water among large pieces of floating ice or in the open sea. By the midnight and noon, they dive to catch fish and krill, remaining under the surface less than a minute. The flippers of these birds help them "fly" when swimming under the water. Coming out of the water, they use all four limbs to climb up steep slopes. When on land, they often slide on their stomachs over the ice surface, using their flippers and feet to propel themselves. In addition, these penguins can make quite long jumps. During the winter months, from March to the beginning of May, Chintstrap penguins usually leave their colonies, moving north along the pack ice.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Chinstrap penguins are carnivores (piscivores). They have a very simple diet, typically consisting of aquatic animals such as small fish and roaming marine crustaceans, including krill.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
November-December
INCUBATION PERIOD
37 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
7-9 weeks
FEMALE NAME
hen
MALE NAME
cock
BABY NAME
chick, nestling
web.animal_clutch_size
2 eggs

Chinstrap penguins are normally monogamous and form pairs. Every year, they come to the same breeding grounds, forming large colonies of up to 100,000 pairs. Usually, males return about 5 days before females in order to prepare the nest. They try to find the cavity in the rock, which served them as a nest during the previous breeding season. Finding the nesting site, the male rebuilds and fixes it, using rocks and bones. The mating season lasts from November to December. Typically, two eggs are laid and incubated for 37 days. Both the male and the female participate in incubating, taking turns every six days. The hatchlings remain in the nest with their parents, until they reach the age of 1 month, joining a crèche of other chicks. Then, after around 7-9 weeks, when the young molt, attaining their adult plumage, they are ready to go out to sea.

Population

Population threats

The primary threat to this species is global warming, leading to environmental changes, which negatively affect the population of these penguins. Another concern in commercial fishing, reducing the number of fish populations they consume, especially in the Southern Ocean region. In addition, the penguins are occasionally entangled and captured in fishing nets.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Chinstrap penguin is 8 million individuals or 4 million breeding pairs. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.

Ecological niche

Feeding upon krill and fish, the Chinstrap penguins control numbers of these species populations.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • This penguin is sometimes called a "Stonebreaker Penguin", not because it uses collects stones when building the nest, but due to emitting a loud screech, which is so shrill that could even break stones.
  • This bird is one of the bravest and most aggressive penguin species in the world.
  • The Chinstrap penguins are able to dive at a depth of up to 70 m (230 ft), though usually dive no deeper than 45 m (148 ft).
  • These penguins tend to place their nests on elevated sites, which are usually the first to become snow-free, and where they could raise their chicks.
  • The Chinstrap penguins have no teeth, but they possess spines on their tongues and on the roof of their bill, which allow them to catch and hold wiggling fish.
  • Along with the food, penguins usually swallow pebbles and stones, which are thought to be beneficial for these birds. Thus, the stones can increase their weight, allowing them to dive deeper. Meanwhile, the swallowed stones may aid in grinding up and digesting the food.
  • Every day, they spend several hours preening or caring for their feathers, during which they spread the oil, coming from a special gland beside their tail feathers, all over their plumage. If penguins do not care for their plumage, it will lose its water repellency.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Chinstrap Penguin Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinstrap_penguin
2. Chistrap Penguin on The IUCN Red List - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22697761/0
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/583141

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