Chester Zoo 

Humboldt Penguin

Named after the cold-water Humboldt Current which was itself named after Freidrich Humboldt, the German scientist who discovered it. Compared to other penguins the adults are medium sized, with large heads, black faces, black backs, tails and feet. The front of their necks is white, with a white border extending from the necks around the face up to their reddish brown eyes. Their black bills have a white band near the tip and the lower mandible is pink, the fleshy colour extending to the eyes. A black band runs down the body beneath the flippers. Females are smaller than males, while young birds don’t have the bold double stripe of adults and are more greyish than black, with a white front.

Biology

They breed all year but main seasons are March-April and September-October. They commonly rear two broods in a season. Birds lay eggs in burrows or small crevices, with two eggs usually laid over two to four days and incubation taking 40 to 42 days, chicks hatching two days apart. Both adults share nesting and daily feeding duties. Chicks rarely leave their nest until they have enough plumage to maintain their own body temperature, and after about 12 weeks they have to fend for themselves. They reach maturity at two years.

Did you know?

Most Humboldt penguin pairs remain faithful to each other for years, rarely choosing new partners unless one of them dies, and they often return to the same site to breed year after year.

What they eat

Fish, especially anchovies, but also species such as krill and squid.

How long they live

In captivity they have lived up to 30 years, but rarely survive this long in the wild.