Magellanic Penguin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Magellanic Penguin
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Sphenisciformes
Family:
Spheniscidae
Genus:
Spheniscus
Species:
S. magellanicus
Binomial name
Spheniscus magellanicus
(Forster,
1781)
The Magellanic penguin
(Spheniscus magellanicus) is a South American penguin, breeding in
coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil.
It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins. Its nearest
relatives are the African Penguin, the Humboldt Penguin and the Galápagos
Penguin.
Physical
description
Magellanic Penguins are
medium-sized and black and white in colour, growing to 70-76 cm tall. Their
black head has a broad 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 two black bands between the head and
the breast, the lower in an inverted horseshoe shape. Life span in the wild is
up to 25 years and up to 30 years in captivity.
Diet
Magellanic penguins feed in
the water, preying on cuttlefish, sardines, squid, krill, and other crustaceans.
Since they take in sea water with their prey, a salt-excreting gland has
evolved to filter out the salt.
Behavior
and reproduction
A
magellanic penguin at its burrow
Magellanic penguins travel
in large flocks when hunting for food. In the breeding season, these birds
gather in large nesting colonies at the coasts of Argentina, Southern Chile,
and the Falkland Islands, having 20 nests per 100 square meters. Nests are built
under bushes or in burrows. Two eggs are laid. Often both, but sometimes only
one is raised through adulthood. Incubation lasts 39-42 days, which the parents
share in 10-15 day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29
days, and fed every 2-3 days. These birds are very shy on land and hide in
their nests while on shore.
Status
in the wild
Millions of these penguins
still live on the coasts of Chile and Argentina, but the species is classified
as "Near Threatened," primarily due to the vulnerability of large
breeding colonies to oil spills, which kill 20,000 adults and 22,000 juveniles
every year off the coast of Argentina. The decline of fish populations is also
responsible, as well as predators including sea lions and giant petrels, which
prey on both
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Magellanic_Penguin&action=history
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Binomial name |
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Spheniscus magellanicus |
The Magellanic penguin
(Spheniscus magellanicus) is a South American penguin, breeding in
coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil.
It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins. Its nearest
relatives are the African Penguin, the Humboldt Penguin and the Galápagos
Penguin.
Physical
description
Magellanic Penguins are
medium-sized and black and white in colour, growing to 70-76 cm tall. Their
black head has a broad 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 two black bands between the head and
the breast, the lower in an inverted horseshoe shape. Life span in the wild is
up to 25 years and up to 30 years in captivity.
Diet
Magellanic penguins feed in
the water, preying on cuttlefish, sardines, squid, krill, and other crustaceans.
Since they take in sea water with their prey, a salt-excreting gland has
evolved to filter out the salt.
Behavior
and reproduction
A
magellanic penguin at its burrow
Magellanic penguins travel
in large flocks when hunting for food. In the breeding season, these birds
gather in large nesting colonies at the coasts of Argentina, Southern Chile,
and the Falkland Islands, having 20 nests per 100 square meters. Nests are built
under bushes or in burrows. Two eggs are laid. Often both, but sometimes only
one is raised through adulthood. Incubation lasts 39-42 days, which the parents
share in 10-15 day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29
days, and fed every 2-3 days. These birds are very shy on land and hide in
their nests while on shore.
Status
in the wild
Millions of these penguins
still live on the coasts of Chile and Argentina, but the species is classified
as "Near Threatened," primarily due to the vulnerability of large
breeding colonies to oil spills, which kill 20,000 adults and 22,000 juveniles
every year off the coast of Argentina. The decline of fish populations is also
responsible, as well as predators including sea lions and giant petrels, which
prey on both
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Magellanic_Penguin&action=history