12/3/2023 0 Comments Penguin natural predators![]() Living in colonies with populations larger than some cities, and surviving in the harshest of conditions, it is no wonder that penguins are seen as the emblem of Antarctica. Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.Penguins are the most common birds in the Antarctic. Roberts’ Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. Chris van Rensburg Publication, South Africa. African penguins usually forage at depths of. African penguins may supplement their diet with squid and small crustaceans in areas where there is a decrease in fish abundance because of commercial fishing. Their diet differs from region to region but their primary diet includes small pelagic fish such as pilchards, anchovies, horse mackerel and herring. Their preferred habitats are flat sandy areas with sparse or abundant vegetation growth, or steep, rocky sites with sparse vegetation.Īfrican penguins may forage on their own or in small groups. They occur mostly on islands along the coast, but there are two populations on the mainland in South Africa, at Betty’s Bay and Boulders Beach in the Cape Town area.Īfrican penguins are found along coastal areas and offshore islands. The African penguin is the only penguin species that occurs off the coast of Africa, and it is endemic to the coast of southern Africa, from Hollams Bird Island, near the central Namibian coast, to Algoa Bay off the coast of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Comfort behaviours include preening of feathers and rubbing and scratching of the head. Aggressive displays include an individual pointing its bill directly at another, pecking, bill-slapping and beating one another with flippers. Chicks can produce a whistling ‘peep’ to request food and a hissing sound. Vocalisation includes loud, donkey-like braying noises as well as barking and growling. They are, however, highly specialised for a life at sea and they are efficient swimmers that can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h, cruise at 4–7 km/h and dive down to 130 m.Īfrican penguins communicate by means of vocalisation and displays. They have dark upper-parts lacking both spots and band on the chest.Īfrican penguins are very clumsy on land, waddling upright with flippers held away from the body as if they are drunk. Juveniles differ from adults in having blue-grey plumage with no white facial markings and no bold, delineated markings. Adults weigh on average 2.2–3.5 kg and are 60– 70 cm in height. However, males can be distinguished from females by a slightly bigger and broader bill. Males and females have the same plumage, making it difficult to differentiate between sexes. The African penguin has a black bill and shortened tail. Each African penguin has a unique and distinct pattern of black spots on the white chest that can be used to distinguish individuals from one another. African penguins have black webbed feet and a black facial mask with distinctive pink patches of skin above the eyes. The white belly has a thick black stripe curving across the top of the chest, and down the flanks towards the legs. The dorsal or back part of the body part is black and the belly is white. The feathers in adults are specialised to form a thick coat of overlapping layers that assists with waterproofing, wind resistance and insulation. ![]() 10 of 2004).Īfrican penguins are flightless aquatic birds with reduced wings that are modified to form efficient flippers for swimming and they have heavy bones to enable them to dive. In South Africa, it is further listed as a protected species under the National Environment Management: Biodiversity Act (No. As a result it is classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List and it is listed under Appendix II of the CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species). ![]() The African penguin has experienced rapid population declines over the past century as a result of overexploitation for food, habitat modification of nesting sites, oil spillages, and competition for food resources with commercial fishing. ![]() The body is streamlined with modified wings that resemble flippers, which enable them to be efficient swimmers, and a thick coat with overlapping feathers that assists with waterproofing, wind resistance and insulation. ![]() It is a flightless bird that is well adapted to life at sea and land. It is a charismatic species that is known for its loud donkey-like braying noises, distinctive black and white plumage and large breeding colonies. The African penguin is endemic to coastal areas of southern Africa. The common name ’jackass’ refers to its call, which sounds similar to that of a donkey, even though most other penguins produce a similar sound. The species name demersus is Latin meaning plunging or sinking, referring to its diving behaviour. The genus name Spheniscus is derived from the ancient Greek word sphen, which means wedge, referring to the streamlined body shape of the African penguin. ![]()
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