The Humboldt penguin is a medium-sized species of penguin that is found breeding on the coasts of South America. The Humboldt penguin is similar in appearance to and closely related to other more northern penguin species including the African penguin, the magellanic penguin and the Galapagos penguin. The Humboldt penguin is one of the most northern-dwelling penguin species as it is found natively breeding
on the coastlines of Peru and Chile. The Humboldt penguin is named
after the cold water current that it spends most of it's time swimming
in, which is itself named after the explorer, Alexander von Humboldt.
Humboldt penguins are
medium-sized penguins that can grow to heights of 70 cm or more. Also
the Humboldt penguin is undoubtedly very similar in appearance a number
of other penguin species, the Humboldt penguin can be easily identified by the pink,
fleshy base at the end of their bills. All penguins are fantastic
swimmers and the Humboldt penguin is no exception. Humboldt penguins use
their powerful flippers and streamlined bodies, aided by their webbed
feet to soar through the water. Humboldt penguin populations have been
severely affected in their native regions due to increasing commercial fishing which leaves less food for the penguins to eat.
The Humboldt penguin is a carnivorous animal, that like all other penguin species, survives on a diet that is only comprised of marine animals. Krill and small crustaceans make
up the bulk of the Humboldt penguin's diet along with larger organisms
including squid and various species of fish. Humboldt penguins can be at
sea for days at a time whilst hunting and catch their food by diving
deep into the water for minutes at a time. The Humboldt penguin has
few predators on land, the main ones being large snakes and sea-birds
that hunt their eggs.
Humboldt penguins nest on beaches and rocky islands
along the South American coast, where their range in Chile overlaps
that of the closely related magellanic penguin (these sites are known as
rookeries). The female Humboldt penguin lays two eggs which are
incubated for just over a month and usually fledge (leave the
nest) when they are between 2 and 3 months old. Today, the Humboldt
penguin populations throughout the Pacific Ocean have been drastically
declining over the past few years, with human interference (mainly habitat loss and over-fishing) being the main cause. Source
