A b o u t P e n g u i n s

Penguins are aquatic, flightless birds of the family Spheniscidae. All are native to the southern hemisphere, where they inhabit every continent from the equator to Antarctica.

Penguins primarily eat krill, squid, and fish. Adult penguins of all species have countershaded plumage—dark dorsal feathers and white ventral feathers—that help camouflage them in water. Penguins of the genus Eudyptes have yellow or orange feathered crests adorning their heads.

Climate change threatens penguins in many ways, affecting breeding seasons and nesting habitats; prey populations, distributions, and accessibility; and predator populations and distributions. Human activity also threatens penguins, from overfishing, pollution, tourism, and construction to hunting and the introduction of non-native predators.

The table below lists conservation status and native countries of occurrence for the 18 species of penguin monitored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

S p e c i e s S t a t u s N a t i v e C o u n t r i e s o f T r e n d O c c u r r e n c e Emperor Penguin Near Threatened Antarctica Aptenodytes forsteri Unknown King Penguin Least Concern Argentina; Chile; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); French Aptenodytes patagonicus Increasing Southern Territories; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; South Africa; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Southern Rockhopper Penguin Vulnerable Argentina; Australia; Chile; Falkland Islands Eudyptes chrysocome Decreasing (Malvinas); French Southern Territories; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; New Zealand; South Africa Macaroni Penguin Vulnerable Antarctica; Argentina; Bouvet Island; Chile; Falkland Eudyptes chrysolophus Decreasing Islands (Malvinas); French Southern Territories; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; South Africa; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Northern Rockhopper Penguin Endangered French Southern Territories; Saint Helena, Ascension Eudyptes moseleyi Decreasing and Tristan da Cunha Fiordland Penguin Vulnerable New Zealand Eudyptes pachyrhynchus Decreasing Snares Penguin Vulnerable New Zealand Eudyptes robustus Stable Royal Penguin Near Threatened Australia Eudyptes schlegeli Stable Erect-crested Penguin Endangered New Zealand Eudyptes sclateri Decreasing Little (Blue) Penguin Least Concern Australia; New Zealand Eudyptula minor Stable Yellow-eyed Penguin Endangered New Zealand Megadyptes antipodes Decreasing Adélie Penguin Least Concern Antarctica; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Pygoscelis adeliae Increasing Islands Chinstrap Penguin Least Concern Antarctica; Argentina; Bouvet Island; Chile; Falkland Pygoscelis antarcticus Decreasing Islands (Malvinas); French Southern Territories; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Gentoo Penguin Least Concern Antarctica; Argentina; Australia (Macquarie Is.); Pygoscelis papua Stable Chile; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); French Southern Territories (Crozet Is., Kerguelen); Heard Island and McDonald Islands; South Africa (Marion-Prince Edward Is.); South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (South Georgia) African Penguin Endangered Angola (Angola); Mozambique; Namibia; South Spheniscus demersus Decreasing Africa Humboldt Penguin Vulnerable Chile; Peru Spheniscus humboldti Unknown Magellanic Penguin Near Threatened Argentina; Brazil; Chile; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); Spheniscus magellanicus Decreasing Peru; Uruguay Galapagos Penguin Endangered Ecuador (Galápagos) Spheniscus mendiculus Decreasing Source: http://www.iucnredlist.org, 2016 assessment update.