|
Added to My Visit
This item has already been added
|
Viewing Hints
Feedings usually can be seen around 1:30 on weekends.
|
Humboldt Penguin
Spheniscus humboldti
| Size |
Between 26-28 inches long |
| Weight |
They weigh 8-13 pounds |
| Conservation Status |
On the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Humboldt penguin is listed as Vulnerable. |
| Diet |
In the wild, Humboldt penguins eat small schooling fish like anchovies and sardines.
In the Zoo, they receive five types of fish. Their diet is based on the calories needed for different stages of life along with a variety of supplemental vitamins. They are fed three times a day at the Zoo. Trout and silversides seem to be their favorite fish, although their preferences do change at different times of the year. |
| Geographic Range |
The Humboldt penguin is found on the west coast of South America along the coast of Chile and Peru in the region of the cold water Humboldt current. |
| Where to find me in the Zoo |
Bird Valley |
Note: Description below should include Longevity, Behavior, and Reproduction information
The Humboldt penguin is mostly blackish-gray in color with a white breast. The adults have a black horseshoe shaped band on the breast and a white head stripe. They are between 26 and 28 inches long and weigh 8-13 pounds. Males are slightly larger than females. The Humboldt penguin has a strong and powerful bill that is black with a gray transverse bar and a hooked tip. Their flipper is a modified wing that lacks flight feathers. When on land they look ungainly, but in the water they are amazing streamlined swimmers.
Humboldt penguins nest on islands or on rocky stretches of mainland coast, especially in areas with cliffs.
Humboldt penguins live an average of 10 years but birds in captivity can live longer than 20 years.
The penguins breed in large colonies known as rookeries. They use their feet to excavate burrows or nest in caves or natural crevices. Their nests are lined with feathers and are constructed by the male. They will breed any time of year, and females usually lay a clutch of two or rarely three eggs. The eggs are laid about three days apart. Incubation is 40 days and is done by both parents. Both parents also feed the chicks by regurgitation. One of the largest known breeding colonies is found at Punta San Juan, Peru.
Humboldt penguins are intensely social and gregarious and are usually found in groups. They have superb swimming skills, which rivals seals and porpoises.
The wings of the Humboldt penguin have evolved into flippers that propel them through the water. Their stiff, close-packed feathers overlap for better insulation and water proofing, and their bodies are highly streamlined to ease their passage through water.
There are 20 Humboldt penguins at the Zoo: 11 males, 8 females and 1 chick. In the 2007 season, three chicks were successfully hatched, Noah, Gilligan and Pancake. In the 2008 season, one chick was successfully hatched, Spud.
Noah: Male, hatched May 11, 2007 to Old Stony (dad) and Calvin (mom).
Gilligan: Male, hatched May 13, 2007 to Old Stony (dad) and Calvin (mom).
Pancake: Male, hatched May 15, 2007 to Loverboy (dad) and Calfred (mom).
Spud: Unknown, hatched April 2, 2008 to Old Stony (dad) and Calvin (mom).
Enrichment
Adoption Information
Featured Foster Parent
The Philadelphia Zoo's individual penguins are identified with a unique color combination of beads and bands worn on their wing. Each of the Zoo's penguins is hand-fed individually; this helps to make sure that all of the birds eat well. This also helps to reduce the amount of food that ends up eaten by the seagulls, but it does not keep them from hanging around!
Some of the Zoo's penguins acquire their names through their behavior, Rocko and Old Stoney both used to have a habit of incubating rocks. Fortunately, both have since figured out what they are supposed to do and have each fathered offspring
Enrichment
According to CITES I, Humboldt penguins are most restricted and threatened with extinction. The breeding program for this species is managed on a national level by a Species Survival Plan organized by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).
Humboldt penguin face several challenges to their survival. The local fishing industry poses a serious threat to Humboldt penguin populations as their nets often entangle penguins. Additionally, the harvest of guano at penguin nesting colonies is detrimental to their reproductive success. Ground predators, like domestic dogs, have also been a problem for nesting penguins. During the early 1900s, Humboldt penguins were reported to exist in the hundreds of thousands. After the damaging effects of El Nino in 1982?83, the Peruvian population of penguins was estimated to be 3,000?4,000 birds. Recovery has been slow since then, and the 2000 census estimated the Peruvian population at just over 5,000 birds.
The Humboldt penguin population in Chile is considerably higher, although their breeding rate is low. It is believed that some of these birds come from breeding colonies in Peru where the reproductive rate is higher but suitable habitat for the offspring is limited. The 2000 census estimated the Chilean population at almost 30,000 birds. In recent years, the population is estimated to have dropped as low as 10,000 birds.
Zoo Research
The Philadelphia Zoo collaborates on several efforts to help Humboldt penguin. The Zoo supports the annual population census in both Chile and Peru, educational programs in the United States and South America, research into the provision of artificial nest burrows to improve reproductive success in the wild, and the monitoring of fishing industry and penguin interactions to determine the extent of the industry's threat to penguins and to develop ways to mediate this risk. The Humboldt penguin Species Survival Plan, works closely with local researchers to coordinate these conservation projects. Recently, this collaboration has resulted in a new agreement with the Peruvian guano industry to conduct harvests near penguin breeding colonies in such a way that disturbance to the penguins is minimized.
Learn more about penguin research:
Penguin Taxon Advisory Group
Report of the 2000 International Penguin Conference in Chile
Penguin Conservation Assessment and Management Plan
Fun Facts
Humboldt penguins have superb swimming skills, which rivals seals and porpoises.
The wings of the Humboldt penguin have evolved into flippers that propel them through the water, and their feathers are stiff and closely packed to serve as insulation and waterproofing.
Both male and female Humboldt penguins share parental responsibilities; they both participate in incubation and feeding their chicks.
Conservation
Introductions
Animal Lingo
Want More?
Sources:
(1) Philadelphia Zoo staff.
(2) del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., and Sargatal, J., eds. 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1 Lynx. Barcelona: Edicions.
(3) IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 04 January 2008.
|
|