Humboldt Penguin
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| Spheniscus humboldti Meyen, 1834 |
The Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) 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 Alexander von Humboldt, a naturalist and explorer who first described the animal to western observers.
Humboldt Penguins are medium-sized, black and white penguins, growing 65-70 cm tall. 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.
This penguin nests on islands and rocky coasts, burrowing holes in guano and sometimes using scrapes or caves.
The current status of this penguin is vulnerable, due to a declining population caused in part by over-fishing. Historically it was the victim of guano over-exploitation. The current population is estimated at between 3,300 and 12,000.
[edit] Gallery
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 A pair of Humboldt Penguins in a zoo |
 With eggs |
[edit] External links and references
- Humboldt penguins from the International Penguin Conservation Web Site
- www.pinguins.info : information about all species of penguins
- The Humboldt Penguin Colonies at Chanaral Island, Chile
- Chanaral Island: the biggest Humboldt Penguin Colony in the world
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2005). Spheniscus humboldti. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
