Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The Humboldt penguin is a medium-sized penguin that lives along the desert coasts of Peru and Chile, far from any ice. You won't see it in the wild in the US, but it's a familiar zoo penguin here, and it has been listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act since 2010. It's also called the Peruvian penguin.

Appearance

Appearance: About 22–28 in (56–70 cm) long and 6.4–13.2 lb (2.9–6 kg). Black head with a white stripe curving from behind the eye down to the throat, one black band across the chest, and a patch of bare pink skin at the base of the bill. Young birds have dark heads and no chest band.

Look-alikes

Magellanic PenguinSpheniscus magellanicus

Magellanic penguins have two black bands across the throat and chest; Humboldt penguins have just one. Young birds of the two species are very hard to tell apart.

Why they get mixed upClose relatives with nearly the same size and pattern.

African PenguinSpheniscus demersus

The African penguin's pink skin sits above the eye, while the Humboldt's is at the base of the bill. African penguins also have a more pointed bill and black spots scattered on the white belly.

Why they get mixed upBoth have a single chest band and both are common in US zoos.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Rocky coasts
Offshore islands
Range: West coast of South America, from northern Peru to southern Chile. The only known wild record in North America is a single bird caught in a fishing net off Alaska in 2002; in the US you'll find it at zoos such as Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
Preferred conditions: It depends on the cold, nutrient-rich , which keeps fish plentiful even along a hot, dry desert shore.

Behavior

Diet: Mostly small schooling fish such as anchovies and sardine-like fish, plus squid.
Activity: Usually makes shallow dives lasting a minute or two.

Life cycle

Breeding season: No fixed season; many females raise two broods a year.
Nest: Digs burrows into thick layers of (hardened seabird droppings), or uses rock crevices and caves.
Clutch size: 2 eggs
Incubation: About 41 days, shared by both parents
Lifespan: Birds that survive their first year average about 17–18 years; one zoo penguin lived to nearly 32.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: VUVulnerableHigh risk of extinction in the wild
Status: Listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act (2010), which restricts import and interstate sale, and on . About 23,800 mature birds remain in the wild, and the number is falling.
Threats: El Niño years cut off the food supply and chicks starve; the 1982–83 El Niño wiped out about 65% of the population. Overfishing, drowning in fishing nets, and past guano mining that destroyed nesting sites are also major threats.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories: Both the penguin and the current it lives in are named for the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt.
In Peru it's known as pájaro niño, or "baby bird."