Humboldt Penguin
Spheniscus Humboldt
Animal facts
Humboldt Penguins are agile swimmers and they can reach speeds up to 32 km/hr (20 mph). They have excellent eyesight both underwater and on land. Humboldt Penguins have a broad black band that runs in an inverted horseshoe shape around their fronts. The chest is dotted with a few black spots in a random pattern.
Their natural predators are gulls, vultures, caracaras, foxes, pinipeds and cetaceans, but Humboldt penguins also face a number of human threats. Industrial fishing reduces breeding success and survival rates due to a reduction of food resources available to them. Over-fishing of the Peruvian Anchovy led to its population collapse in the 1970s. This fish was a large part of the Humboldt penguins' diet, and penguin populations have since suffered as a result.
Where they live
Peru and Chile
Habitat
They spend most of their time at sea but when they come ashore to breed they form large colonies.
What they eat
Humboldt penguins feed close to shore, taking various species of fish, mostly small fish such as anchovy and sardine.
IUCN status
Vulnerable
Conservation work
In order to protect this species of penguin the aim is to closely monitor the population, establish awareness, protect breeding sites, create marine reserves around colonies and reduce fish harvests around major colonies.
