Sad end to first journey of yellow-eyed penguin chick Takaraha

NEW ZEALAND – Takaraha, a juvenile yellow-eyed penguin that captured attention in recent weeks, has been euthanised after suffering a non-survivable injury to its left flipper, believed to be inflicted by a predator.

Takaraha was one of 23 juvenile yellow-eyed penguins being remotely tracked by University of Otago researchers investigating dramatically declining survival rates of the endangered species. The young bird made headlines after setting a blistering speed up the South Island’s east coast on its fledgling journey just over a fortnight ago.

First tracking of yellow-eyed penguin juveniles

NEW ZEALAND – A select group of this season’s yellow-eyed penguin chicks are having their first expeditions into the ocean remotely tracked, as University of Otago researchers investigate dramatically declining survival rates of the endangered species.

Improvements in tracking technology have made the research possible, with transmitters now small enough to fit on yellow-eyed penguins.

Each of the 23 penguins involved in the study is equipped with a satellite tag, transmitting messages to overhead satellites, which triangulate the penguin’s position on the ocean’s surface. Some of the devices are able to send stored GPS positions by text message every two days. The tags are attached to the bird’s lower back using cloth tape under a small patch of feathers, and are secured with cable ties.

'Supercolony' of Adelie penguins discovered in Antarctica

ANTARCTICA – For the past 40 years, the total number of Adélie penguins, one of the most common on the Antarctic peninsula, has been steadily declining – or so biologists have thought. But a new study led by Stony Brook University ecologist Heather Lynch and colleagues from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is providing new insights about this penguin species. In a Scientific Reports paper, the international research team announced the discovery of a previously unknown “supercolony” of more than 1,500,000 Adélie penguins in the Danger Islands, a chain of remote, rocky islands off of the Antarctic Peninsula’s northern tip.

King penguins may be on the move very soon

SUB-ANTARCTIC – King penguin colonies in Crozet, Kerguelen and Marion sub-Antarctic islands  – more than 70% of the global king penguin population – may be nothing more than a memory in a matter of decades, as global warming will force the birds to move south, or disappear. This is the conclusion of a study carried out by an international team of researchers and published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

King penguins. Photo (c) Celine LeBohec.

"The main issue is that there is only a handful of islands in the Southern Ocean and not all of them are suitable to sustain large breeding colonies" said Robin Cristofari, lead author of the study, from the Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC) (a mixed research unit of the CNRS and the University of Strasbourg) and the Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM).

King penguins are picky animals – in order to form a colony where they can mate, lay eggs and rear chicks over a year, they need tolerable temperatures all year round, no winter sea ice around the island, and smooth beach of sand or pebbles. But, above all, they need an abundant and reliable food source close by to feed their chicks.

How to tell male king penguins from female ones - all the time

SUBANTARCTIC - It is difficult to distinguish males from females among king penguins, but a new Ibis study reveals that king penguins can be sexed with an accuracy of 100% based on the sex-specific syllable pattern of their vocalisations. In comparison, using beak length to sex king penguins is accurate 79% of the time.

Male-female king penguin couple
Image (c) Hannah Kriesell

Annual yellow-eyed penguin breeding results remain low

NEW ZEALAND – The Department of Conservation (DOC) and Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust estimate there are 250 breeding pairs of yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) along the Otago and Southland coastline as their annual breeding season comes to an end.

This estimate is similar to the past two seasons (250 pairs and 260 pairs) but considerably lower than historically, where there have been between 400–600 breeding pairs.

No-fishing zones help endangered penguins

SOUTH AFRICA – Small no-fishing zones around colonies of African penguins can help this struggling species, new research shows.

African penguins. Photo credit: Richard Sherley

Working with the South African government, researchers from the University of Exeter and University of Cape Town tested bans on catching "forage fish" such as sardines and anchovies – key prey for the endangered penguins – from 20 km around their breeding islands.

The body condition and survival of chicks improved when the no-fishing zones were in place.

More research is needed, but the scientists say the fishing closures should continue in South Africa and should be considered elsewhere.