Have you ever seen or read about the Humboldt penguin?Humboldt penguins sport pink patches around their eyes and bills, which are medium in size and charming in nature. It so happens that featherless spots on their faces turn pink to expel their body heat when temperatures soar, giving them an endearing blush.Found only on the shores of Chile and Peru in South America, the Humboldt penguin is named after Alexander von Humboldt, an 18th-century German scientist, and avid explorer. They also happen to share their name with a cold sea current – the Humboldt – that flows north along South America’s west coast to Peru after originating in Chile. They are excellent swimmers and can travel at a speed of 30 mi (48.3 km) an hour. Of course, their torpedo structure assists them in achieving that speed. These flightless birds also have webbed feet to steer their way underwater. Their bones are denser than those of other flying birds, helping them dive as much as 500 ft (152.4 m) deep in search of food.However, the Humboldt penguin is not the only penguin when it comes to demonstrating different shades. Other species, like king and emperor penguins, have strokes of orange and yellow on their necks. A crown of yellow feathers adorns a crested penguin. Just like appearance, certain habits also help distinguish the species of penguin.Biology Of Humboldt PenguinsPenguin Humboldt can grow to be 26-28 in (66-71 cm) tall and weigh around 10 lb (4.5 kg).They have a black head, white underparts, and blackish-grey underparts. White stripes make their way from their eyes to their ear-coverts to their chin. Their bills are mostly black, but they are surrounded by a light pink color at the base. They also sport a black breast band.However, the young penguins have no breast band, and the chicks sport brown feathers, while an adult Humboldt penguin has black feathers. You can also distinguish one Humboldt penguin from another by closely observing their patterns or markings on their white belly. Humboldt penguins have tiny black spots on their bellies, and each pattern is unique, just like a human fingerprint.Did you know the feathers of a Humboldt Penguin are considered suitable bioindicators of rare Earth elements?Unlike penguins that live only in cold weather, the Humboldt penguin has to deal with the hot and humid climates of South America. This change in their place of stay has also made their habits different from those of their pals in the Antarctic. They do not huddle together in large colonies to stay warm. Instead, they prefer living in small groups, often referred to as ‘rookeries’. When they need to cool down or warm themselves, they seek the comfort of their nesting burrows.Humboldt penguin are very social and humble. They like each other’s company and use separate sounds to communicate. For example, they make a braying call to attract their mates and a yelling warning call when they see a threat. Each Humboldt penguin has a unique voice that helps its partner and offspring recognize it.These penguins prefer nesting on rocky coastlines and sandy islands while feeding in the surrounding waters. The Humboldt current, which plays an important role in the productivity of krill, planktons, and other fish, continues to have a strong influence on their habitat.A Humboldt penguin has a life span of 20-25 years.Diet Of Humboldt PenguinsHumboldt Penguins are carnivores, but mainly they are piscivores.They do not eat animals but prefer anchoveta, and also eat squid, sardines, krill, and other sea fish. That’s why the penguin Humboldt is found only along the Pacific Coast.Did you know their poop color varies from white to pink? The more they eat krill, the pinker their poop becomes. However, human intervention has left them with a dearth of food, especially their favorite small fish, anchoveta. Humans visit their home waters off the coast of South America to hunt these fish and harvest them for animal feed, leaving little for the animals that live there.Reproduction In Humboldt PenguinsHumboldt penguins are monogamous. Just like other penguins, Humboldt penguins also search for a lifelong mate. They bow their heads and exchange glances with the opposite sex during their courtship period. They flap their wings, stretch their heads, and bray to attract a partner.The breeding season for Humboldt penguins is from March-December. A Humboldt penguin matures at the age of two. Both the male and female together dig their burrow in guano deposits (poop of seabirds), and the female then lays two eggs that take around 40 days to incubate.During that period, the mates take turns sitting on the eggs. After the eggs hatch and the chicks are born, it takes around 70-90 days for the chicks to molt. At this time, their brown feathers get replaced with grey ones. The chicks stay in their nest while their parents feed them and protect them from wild animals.Humboldt Penguin BreedingAfter attaining sexual maturity, the Humboldt Penguin can start breeding. At the time of breeding, the penguins come to the rocky shores to form colonies.They dig their nests in guano, often found in caves and along the cliffs. Many a time, only one chick survives. It may be because of staggered hatching that one chick is smaller than the other. In such situations, if the parents face food scarcity, they mostly feed the larger one, leaving the smaller one to die.Breeding is not an easy process for these penguins, considering the threats they face in the wild. While excessive fishing has snatched their food, their nesting sites have not been spared either. Their population first started declining when deposits of dried guano, where they lay their eggs, were mined for fertilizer.In the mid-20th century, they recovered from the threat somewhat, but then nature became harsh on them again. Thanks to global warming, temperatures and currents in the Pacific Ocean started changing, leading to climate change. Ocean currents like El Nino began to push the Humboldt current off course.As this current provided the mineral-rich water for the penguins to thrive, many penguins started going hungry in its absence. At times, El Nino also causes the ocean to swell up and flood their breeding grounds.If all these threats were not enough, they also have to save themselves from the predators. Leopard seals, great white sharks, killer whales, and sea lions all love feeding on them. When danger lies in the water, they seek protection on the shore and vice versa. While on the shore, although they cannot walk fast or fly away from the predators, they slide on their bellies to flee from them.Known as ’tobogganing’, this sliding process helps them quickly escape into the water. To survive, they must keep a safe distance from a variety of marine mammals, such as orcas and leopard seals. So, when they find a marine predator close to them, they use a technique called ‘porpoising’ to jump out of the water at high speed.These pint-sized penguins also move zigzag and take sharp turns to dodge larger predators. At times, they also fall prey to fishing nets in the water. Their eggs are also not safe as they are easy food for snakes, birds, and foxes. As a result, one mate always guards the egg at the nest while the other goes in search of food.All these factors have hugely threatened their population. At present, there are only around 12,000 pairs of Humboldt penguins on the planet. Due to their declining population, these species have become vulnerable, and several efforts are being made to revive and restore their population.
Have you ever seen or read about the Humboldt penguin?
