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The Magellanic Penguin and its Range | Articles of Interest for Travelers to The Antarctic

The Magellanic Penguin

The Magellanic penguin was named for the famous explorer of course, inhabiting waters that Ferdinand Magellan first laid eyes on during his legendary 1519 voyage. The species is similar in appearance and habits to the Humboldt penguin. The two weigh about the same, between six and fourteen pounds at adulthood, but at a bit over two feet tall, the Magellanic towers over the Humboldt. The Magellanic male is larger than the female. Both species have a blackish-brown head with white patches, black back feathers and a white front with black spots. Besides the Magellanic’s relatively svelte physique, its most distinguishable characteristic is its more distinct white bands above and below its throat that continues down the sides of its belly. The Magellanic subsists on a diet of krill, fish and squid.

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The Magellanic penguin is a burrowing species, laying two eggs that they care for equally. The species arrives at its breeding grounds in early September and is laying eggs by mid-October. The males and females alternate every one to two weeks during the five to six-week incubation. Chicks begin life on their own two months later.
In July, visitors who travel to Brazil may see Magellanics east of the southern city of Porto Alegre during the winter migratory months and as far north as Bahia, an even bigger surprise during Brazil tours. During this time, visitors on Argentina tours may spot the species as far north as Mar del Plata and San Clemente del Tuyu, just 250 miles south of Buenos Aires.
The species is found as far west as Robinson Caruso Island, 400 miles west of Santiago, and as far east as the Falkland Islands. On the continent of South America, visitors will see Magellanics as far south as Cape Horn on Chile tours and on the Isla de los Estados on the eastern side of Tierra del Fuego if they travel to Argentina.
Some two million pairs of Magellanics are known to exist. The species’ status is “Near-Threatened” due to declines over the last three decades in Argentina and the Falklands.
To learn about the species’ breeding areas in the cold temperate waters of Southern Patagonia and the Falklands where colonies are found, see our article on the subject.

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