Magellanic penguin Facts
Magellanic penguin Facts
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| Interesting Magellanic penguin Facts: |
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| Magellanic penguin can reach 24 to 28 inches in height and 9 to 11 pounds of weight. |
| Magellanic penguin has black plumage on the back and white plumage on the belly with broad, black, horseshoe-like marking on the breast. It has white band on the head that stretches from the eyes to throat. Skin around the eyes and bill becomes featherless and intensely pink-colored during the breeding season. |
| Magellanic penguin has large head, hooked, grey-black bill, short neck, elongated, rigid wings and short, wedge-shaped tail. |
| Magellanic penguin uses supraorbital glands to eliminate excess salt from the body. |
| Magellanic penguin is a carnivore. Its diet is based on the small fish, crustaceans and squids. |
| Magellanic penguin is an excellent swimmer. It can travel 620 miles away from the shore and dive to depth of 65 to 164 feet to find food. Magellanic penguin usually hunts in groups. |
| Magellanic penguin is named after famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who discovered this species on its journey to South America. |
| Natural enemies of Magellanic penguins are sea lions, leopard seals, killer whales and Patagonian foxes. |
| Magellanic penguin travels large distances each year and lives in large colonies on the breeding grounds (from September to February). |
| Unpaired males produce donkey-like braying noise to find partner for mating and solve territorial disputes. |
| Magellanic penguins are monogamous birds. Male circles around the female and pats her with his flippers during the courtship. Formed couples last for a lifetime. |
| Magellanic penguins nest on the cliffs, grassy and shrubby coasts or inside the burrows. Female lays 2 eggs that hatch after 40 to 42 days. Both partners take part in the incubation of eggs. |
| Chicks spend first 24 to 29 days with their parents in the nest (before they develop rudimentary feathers that are essential for the regulation of body temperature). After that period, both parents spend most of their time in search for food and visit their chicks only to feed them. Young Magellanic penguins fledge at the age of 40 to 70 days. |
| Magellanic penguins reach sexual maturity at the age of 4 years. |
| Magellanic penguin can survive 15 to 20 years in the wild and up to 30 years in the captivity. |
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