Humboldt Penguin
Spheniscus humboldti

Height
15-18 inches (38-45 cm)

Weight
Approximately 9 pounds (4 kg)

Life Span
Approximately 20 years in the wild; up to 30 years at zoos

Diet
In the wild: Fish, especially anchovies, herring and smelt.

At the zoo: Live trout, smelt and herring with vitamins added.

Reproduction
Humboldt penguins can breed at any time of the year. Sexual maturity is reached between 2 and 7 years old. Nests are made in caves, cracks or holes and occasionally in more open sites such as rocky shore. Humboldt penguins usually dig burrow-like nests among piles of guano (accumulated droppings of sea birds) which forms in caves and along cliffs. Females lay one or two eggs and the incubation period is approximately 40 days. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs. At times, only one chick survives because hatching is staggered and one chick may be smaller than another. When food is scarce the parents feed only the larger chick and the smaller chick quickly starves.

Penguin Colonies
Humboldt penguins are social animals, living in relatively large colonies, where communication is important. Colonies are beneficial because they provide collective defense against predators. Unlike Antarctic penguins that huddle together in large groups to stay warm, Humboldt penguins have no need to do this because of the warm, temperate climate in which they live. Instead, to warm up or cool down, Humboldt penguins seek the security and comfort of their nesting burrows. Humboldt penguins, like all penguins, are monogamous. Mated penguins can recognize one another through vocal and visual mechanisms within the colony. Parents and offspring can also recognize each other easily using sight and sound. Each penguin has a unique voice which allows its mate and offspring to recognize it.

Born to Swim
Humboldt penguins have a body made to swim. Using their strong wings, they "fly" underwater, usually just below the surface, at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour (32 kmph). They steer with their feet and tail. Their feathers are stiff and overlap to waterproof and insulate their body. Dense feathers also protect the penguin in winds of up to 60 miles per hour (96 kmph). Humboldt penguins, like all penguins, can see easily underwater and on land. Also, these birds have a supraorbital gland which enables them to drink salt water in addition to fresh water. The gland withdraws excess salt from the penguins' blood and excretes it in a concentrated solution which dribbles down the bill. In zoos, Humboldt penguins usually live in fresh water and as a result the gland is dormant. Living only in fresh water does not affect the penguins' health.

Woodland Park Zoo’s Humboldt penguins are living in the newly renovated Coastal Desert exhibit. People do not usually think of penguins as a desert species. Unlike their ice and snow-dwelling Antarctic cousins, Humboldt penguins inhabit hot, dry coastlines in Peru and Chile.

Humboldt penguins are an endangered species.** It is estimated that 10,000-12,000 survive in the wild. These population figures do not take into account the El Ni�o of 1997-98, which had a devastating affect on Humboldt penguins. During El Ni�o periods, cool, nutrient-rich waters warm, forcing prey species of fish to go elsewhere in search of food. As a result, penguins die of starvation. The primary reason Humboldt penguins are endangered is due to humans. The guano in which Humboldt penguins make their nests is a valuable fertilizer used in agriculture. Humans disrupt the penguins by removing and destroying the guano during nesting season. Humboldt penguins also must compete with the offshore fishing industry in Peru and Chile and they often get caught in fishing nets and drown. Other threats to Humboldt penguins are oil spills, humans collecting their eggs for food, disturbances caused by tourists and researchers, and introduced predators such as rats, cats and dogs.

Woodland Park Zoo participates in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the Humboldt penguin. This program works to increase the number of healthy captive Humboldt penguins. Woodland Park Zoo also works to educate the public about Humboldt penguins and this is the first step to conservation. About 230 Humboldt penguins survive in captivity in North America.

Contact the Woodland Park Zoological Society at 206.684.4880 to find out ways you can support conservation programs at the zoo. Learn other ways you can help conserve wildlife and the habitats they require for survival by calling the zoo’s Education Center at 206.684-4800.

Cheney, Cynthia. November 1998. The Current Situation of the Humboldt Penguin in Chile and Peru: a Report From the Population and Habitat Viability Analysis Meeting, Part 1. Penguin Conservation, pp. 4-9.

del Hoyo, Josep, Andrew Elliott and Jordi Sargatal. 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. 696 p.

Love, John. 1997. Penguins. Voyageur Press, Stillwater, MN. 72 p.

For Kids!
Zoobooks. 1993. Penguins. Wildlife Education Ltd., San Diego, CA. 18 p.

* Taxonomic classification varies between references. Classification information used in this fact sheet was taken from: A complete checklist of the birds of the world, 2nd edition, by Richard Howard and Alick Moore, 1994. Academic Press Inc., San Diego, CA. 630 p.

**There are several international and federal agencies that determine the endangered status of species. WPZ designates a species as endangered if it is listed as endangered on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List, the US Fish & Wildlife Service's Endangered Species List, or on Appendix I of CITES (Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna).