Chilean penguin, Peruvian penguin, Patranca, Humboldt penguin
The Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti ) is a medium-sized penguin. It resides in South America, its range mainly contains most of coastal Peru. 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 both are 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 population is composed of 32,000 mature individuals and is going down. 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 America the Humboldt penguin is found only along the Pacific coast, and the range of the Humboldt penguin overlaps that of the Magellanic penguin on the central Chilean coast. It is vagrant in Ecuador and Colombia. The Humboldt penguin has been known to live in mixed species colonies with the Magellanic penguin in at least two different locations at the south of Chile.
The Humboldt penguin has become a focus of ecotourism over the last decades.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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Flightless birdFlightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species including the well known ratites (ostri...
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Apex predatorAn apex predator, also known as a top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain and has no natural predators. These animals usually occup...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
A territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Humboldt penguin is a medium-sized penguin with black-and-white plumage and a black head. The base of the bill is fleshy and pink in color. The penguin has white-colored patches, stretching from behind each eye down to the black ear-coverts and chin, and meeting on the throat. The upper parts are blackish-grey and the underparts are whitish in color. They have a black-colored stripe on their breasts, stretching from their flanks to the thigh. Young penguins are identified by lacking this stripe and having dark heads.
The preferred habitat of the Humboldt penguin is rocky terrains along the coastline. The species is distributed along the Pacific Coast of Chile and Peru.
Humboldt penguins are highly social and communicative birds, gathering in large colonies, providing them protection from predators. These penguins are excellent swimmers and see well both underwater and on land. They are diurnal animals. They do not migrate due to warm temperatures throughout the year. However, penguins, not rearing chicks, are able to be away from their colonies and can travel long distances, looking for new foraging areas. However, those, rearing chicks, generally tend to stay in the same area, foraging in shallow water.
Humboldt penguins are carnivores (piscivores). The diet of these penguins primarily consists of fish. They mostly prefer anchovies and sardines.
The Humboldt penguins have a monogamous mating system. The breeding season lasts from March to December, with the highest breeding activity in April as well as August-September. Before mating, the animals undergo a molting period of about 2 weeks, during which they do not go out to sea and have to starve. By the end of the molt, they finally venture into the sea to forage and then come back to their breeding grounds, where they mate. Usually, 1-2 eggs are laid and incubated for about 40 days. Both the male and female incubate the eggs alternately. When the chicks hatch out, both parents care for them, until the young reach the age of 70-90 days, when they gain their adult plumage. By that time, the young are fully independent and go to sea. Reproductive maturity is reached at 3 years old.
The Humboldt penguins are frequently tangled in fishing nets and killed by explosives, used by fishermen. They are threatened because of mining operations, conducted in the area of their range. The animals are captured for the illegal pet trade, food as well as use as fish bait. Human disturbance is among other serious threats to this species' population: in the northern part of Chile, an important breeding site of Humboldt penguins is presently under danger due to the construction of 2 coal-fired power stations in the area.
The total number of the Humboldt penguin's population varies from 44,239 to 53,462 birds, including 32,000 mature individuals. On the IUCN Red List, the species is classified as Vulnerable (VU).
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...