The harshest continent on the planet is Antarctica. These flightless birds are adapted to living in cold climates. However, there are certain species in the world that live far beyond the South Pole. These include the African penguin of the spectacled genus. Like other representatives of this species, the bird is flightless.
Description
The African penguin is one of the largest representatives of its genus. In Latin it is known as Spheniscus demersus. It is also often called the donkey, black-footed and spectacled penguin.
The birds are very large in size. Their height can reach 70 cm, while their body weight ranges from 3-5 kg. The appearance is practically no different from its closest relatives: the back is painted black and the chest is white. A distinctive feature of spectacled penguins is their unique horseshoe-shaped pattern. A narrow black stripe runs along the top of the bird's chest and down the sides of the body to the legs. According to scientists, there are no completely identical drawings; they are as unique as human fingerprints.
It is difficult to distinguish males and females by appearance, since their coloring is very similar. However, adults of different sexes can be identified by size. Males are slightly larger than their partners.
The bird's beak is pointed. It is colored black and has white markings. Another distinctive feature of African penguins is the presence of pink glands that are located above the eyes. These organs help the bird not to overheat in such hot climates. In hot weather, blood flow to the glands increases, causing them to become brighter in color, and the surrounding air cools them.
The penguin's legs are painted black.
Habitat
Many nature lovers will be interested to know where the spectacled penguin lives. These birds are common in the coastal areas of southwestern Africa, and they have also settled on 24 islands located in the Atlantic Ocean, between Algoa Bay and the state of Namibia. There are 27 penguin colonies in these regions. At the beginning of the 20th century, the bird population was very large - there were at least 2 million individuals. Nowadays, things are very dire; penguins in Africa are on the verge of extinction. According to 2015 estimates, the number of birds ranges from 140 to 180 thousand individuals. Today, these penguins are protected; they are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of South Africa.
Penguin Enemies
In the wild, these birds have several main enemies. In the depths of the sea, danger comes from fur seals and the main predators of the depths - sharks. But the enemies of African penguins live not only in water. On land, many dangers await them, and most of all the threats arise for the future generation of birds. Sea gulls and ibises prey on eggs and newborn chicks. Particularly dangerous are leopards, various types of snakes and mongooses.
But, despite so many enemies, it was people who caused the greatest harm to the penguins of Africa. They not only used bird eggs for food, but also destroyed their habitat.
Bird lifestyle
The penguin's main food is seafood. Their diet mainly consists of fingerling herring, sardines and anchovies. The average lifespan of birds is 10-12 years. The female produces her first offspring when she reaches 4-5 years of age. There can be 2 eggs in one clutch. Not only the female, but also the male is involved in incubating the chicks. For 40 days they take turns monitoring the clutch.
The chicks that are born have gray-brown down, which over time acquires a bluish tint.
On the verge of death
This species of penguin is on the verge of extinction primarily due to humans. A sharp decline in the population occurred at the beginning of the last century. In the 1920s, the bird population on Dassen Island alone was about 1.5 million individuals. The decline in the number of penguins was due to record collections of their eggs. For approximately 30 years (from 1900 to 1930), 450 thousand eggs were seized annually. But the record year was 1919. Up to 600 thousand eggs were collected.
In 1956, the number of penguins sharply decreased, there were no more than 145 thousand individuals, and already in 1978 their number decreased to 22.4 thousand. The birds became endangered, so they were listed not only in the Red Book of South Africa, but also in international. Today the picture has improved somewhat, and the number of birds has increased slightly, but it is very far from the figures that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century.
Interesting facts about African penguins
- Penguins living on the coast of South Africa can be called homebodies. They do not lead a nomadic lifestyle, like some of their relatives, but prefer to stay in the places they have chosen.
- The habitat of African penguins has been significantly reduced due to the fact that the coastline is densely populated by people.
- In 2000, an emergency occurred - a huge oily slick formed off the coast of South Africa due to an oil spill. Volunteer teams were created to save birds. People collected birds stained with oil and washed them.
- In 1978, this bird species was on the verge of extinction. The number of penguins has decreased to 22.4 thousand individuals.
- The call of this bird is very similar to the sounds made by a donkey, which is why they are often called donkey penguins.
- Penguins are truly record holders. They are able to dive to a depth of 100 m, accelerate in water up to 20 km/h and even hold their breath for several minutes.
- One interesting case occurred in Tbilisi in 2015: an African penguin covered a distance of about 60 km, escaping from a zoo when flooding hit the region.
The penguin with such an unusual name lives in Africa. Donkey penguins received this nickname for a reason. The fact is that their voice is very similar to the cries of a donkey.
By the way, you can listen to the penguin singing. Another name for the donkey penguin is the black-footed or spectacled penguin. Here, I think explanations are unnecessary. Donkey penguins live off the coast washed by cold currents. In behavior, donkey penguins are very similar to their Antarctic counterparts. Donkey penguins are faithful to their mate and take turns incubating eggs. The coloring is traditional, white in front, black in back. Penguins also have a rather narrow black stripe in the shape of a horseshoe. It is from the chest to the very paws.
There are spots on the body of donkey penguins; they are individual, like fingerprints on people. Donkey penguins are sociable, intelligent and kind. They feed on fish, but prefer crustaceans. Donkey penguins reach 70 centimeters in height and can weigh up to 5 - 5.5 kilograms.
Living close to people has made donkey penguins friendly towards people. The colonies living on the beaches seem to enjoy interacting with tourists. Penguins let people get very close, at a distance of a meter, and are not averse to rummaging through the things of an unwary tourist.
However, not everything is so happy. According to press reports, the number of penguins in Africa has decreased from 121 thousand pairs in 1956 to 26 thousand pairs in 2008. The number of donkey penguins has decreased so much that it is time to take urgent action.
Last year there were only 26,000 pairs of penguins in South Africa, down from 121,000 pairs in 1956, but in the 1900s the population of these birds numbered at least 2 million individuals. Scientists are calling for urgent measures to be taken - this is the only way to stop further decline in the bird population. Experts also consider it necessary to find out what reasons caused the sharp decline in the number of donkey penguins.
According to researcher Peter Barham from the University of Bristol (UK), the main factor here may be a reduction in food resources. In particular, it is likely that food resources have been disrupted by overfishing of sardines and anchovies, or by the movement of fish to other ocean areas due to global warming. In addition, pollutants in the air and water could weaken the penguins' health and impair their ability to forage for food.
Other negative factors include predation of penguins by fur seals, oil spills, and a reduction in the number of cool, suitable places for breeding in colonies due to climate change.
Prepared based on materials from online publications.
Class - Birds / Subclass - New palates / Superorder - Penguinaceae
History of the study
The spectacled penguin, or donkey penguin, or black-footed penguin (lat. Spheniscus demersus) is a species of bird from the spectacled penguin genus.
Spreading
The distribution area is the coast of South Africa and Namibia and nearby islands in the area of the cold Benguela Current. Lives in colonies. Today the population is estimated at 140-180 thousand individuals. Moreover, in the 1900s the population was estimated to be at least 2 million individuals.
Appearance
The spectacled penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is comparable in size to the Magellanic and Humboldt penguins. Its length, on average, is 68 cm, and its weight is 2.1-3.7 kg. Males are slightly larger than females. They also have a taller bill, but the differences are clearly visible when the birds stand side by side. Spectacled penguins are black above and white below. They have a narrow black horseshoe-shaped stripe on their chest, which goes down the sides of the body to the paws. Some birds have a double stripe, like the Magellanic penguin. In addition, a white stripe goes around the back of the head and cheeks and then goes forward to the eyes and further towards the beak, but does not reach the beak.
Reproduction
The nesting period of the spectacled penguin is extended. In most colonies, birds at any stage of the nesting cycle can be found throughout the year. However, there are still some regional differences: peak breeding in Namibia occurs in November-December, while in South Africa it occurs in March-May. Spectacled penguins are monogamous and the same pair will usually return to the same colony and nest. 80-90% of pairs remain together for the next breeding season. There are cases where partners stayed together for more than 10 years. The clutch consists of 2 eggs. Both parents alternately incubate her for 40 days. The duration of partner changes depends on feeding conditions and averages 2.5 days. Both parents take care of the chicks, and for the first 15 days, until thermoregulation is established, one of them constantly warms the chicks. Further, up to a month of age, while the chicks are still small and one of the parents protects them from attack by seagulls. After this, both parents can go to sea to feed the chicks. At this time, the penguin chicks form “nurseries”, which serve mainly to protect them not from predation by gulls, but from attacks from adult birds. "Fledglings" leave the colony at the age of 60-130 days. The duration of the nesting period, the weight of fledglings, and the productivity of the breeding season depend on the availability and quality of food. After leaving the colony, young birds become independent. They spend 12-22 months at sea, after which they return to their home colony, where they molt into adult plumage.
Lifestyle
Penguins in water can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h, dive deeper than 100 m and hold their breath for 2-3 minutes. During feeding they can swim 70-120 km in the ocean. They feed mainly on small fish (fry of herring, anchovies, sardines, etc.). The main enemies are humans, sharks, seagulls (for chicks), fur seals (as a competitor for prey and as a predator) and feral cats (for chicks and eggs in some colonies).
The cries of penguins resemble those of donkeys. A penguin lives 10-12 years, females usually begin to give birth at 4-5 years. The clutch consists of two eggs, which are incubated by both parents in turn for about 40 days. The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, later with a bluish tint. The breeding season is not clearly defined and varies depending on the location.
Nutrition
Spectacled penguins feed mainly on pelagic schooling fish species, such as anchovies, sardines, as well as mollusks and crustaceans.
Number
The species is listed in the International Red Book. There are currently 27 spectacled penguin colonies, of which only three are on the mainland coast. And in another 10 places the birds no longer nest, although they nested there before. Currently, the world population is about 70,000 pairs, but this is only 10% of what it was in 1900, when on only one island. About 1.5 million birds nested in Dassin. By 1956 The penguin population halved, followed by a further halving in numbers by the late 1970s, when about 220,000 adult birds were counted. By the end of the 1980s. the number dropped to 194 thousand individuals, and in the early 1990s. it amounted to 197 thousand adult birds. By the end of the 1990s. the number began to increase slightly and in 1999 reached 224 thousand individuals. The reasons for this decline in the number of spectacled penguins are well known. At first, this was caused by the extraction of birds and their eggs for food, as well as the collection of guano in their colonies. Currently, the main threats come from commercial fishing and oil pollution. Penguins also compete for food and breeding sites with fur seals, whose numbers have increased manifold in recent decades. To top it off, fur seals also hunt penguins. Feral cats are also becoming a problem in some colonies. The eggs and chicks of spectacled penguins are eaten by kelp gulls and sacred ibises; on mainland penguin colonies, mongooses, genets and leopards eat them.
The penguin is medium in size (70 cm), named for the specific pattern on its head. This rather large bird with a contrasting coloration (black top and white bottom) is distinguished from other penguins by a black “mask” edged with white, and a narrow black stripe crossing the top of the chest and descending along the sides of the body to the blackish paws. A light band is visible at the tip of the dark beak. The only African species of penguin, it nests on the southern and southwestern coast of Africa, washed by the cold Bengal Current. In connection with the development of nesting biotopes by humans. over the last century, the number of spectacled penguins has fallen tens of times and is now estimated at 50,000-170,000 pairs.
Spectacled penguins are practically sedentary, make non-breeding migrations close to the shore, feed on small schooling fish (mainly fry of herring, anchovies, sardines), which are rich in cold currents. The preferred prey size is 5-12 mm.
The beginning of the breeding season depends on climatic conditions. In the north-west of the range, peak incubation occurs in November-January, in the south-west - in May-July, in the east - in April-June. Feeding lasts up to 80 days. The chicks are covered with brownish-gray down, the first juvenile plumage is grayish-blue, without bright stripes or patterns. They begin breeding at the age of 4 years.
Based on materials: E.A.Koblik. Variety of birds. Part 1. M., Moscow Publishing House
University, 2001
The spectacled penguin has moved far north from Antarctica and has colonized the southern and southwestern coasts of Africa and about 20 islands closest to it; single birds are found even off the coast of Gabon and southern Mozambique.
Penguins spend most of the year at sea, but when breeding begins, they swim to the islands and parts of the coast of South Africa. Egg laying in different colonies occurs in June (when winter is in full swing), spring (September), and sometimes summer (November - December).
The nest is a small hole lined around it with pebbles, branches and pieces of guano collected nearby. Birds also collect building material during the incubation period, which lasts 38-40 days. Usually there are 2 eggs in a clutch, which are incubated alternately by the male and the female.
The chicks have two downy coats: the first, up to two to three weeks of age, is gray, and the second, up to the age of 40-60 days, is grayish-brown above and white below.
In the past, the spectacled penguin was numerous. In the 20s, only on the island. Dusseneiland (15 km off the coast of the Cape Province of South Africa) supposedly nested about 1.5 million penguins. Just a quarter of a century ago, there were 300 thousand of these birds. On the islands, penguin colonies regularly stocked eggs on an industrial scale: in 1919 on the island. About 600 thousand eggs were collected in Dasseneiland; until 1930, about 450 thousand were collected annually, and in the mid-50s - 130-160 thousand eggs. Then the volume of harvesting decreased sharply, indicating a decline in the spectacled penguin population.
On the one hand, the uncontrolled collection of eggs affected, and on the other hand, the pollution of adjacent areas of the sea with oil from tankers, which led to the death of birds. Overfishing, which undermined the food supply of penguins, also had an impact. Thus, the reduction in the number of this species is entirely a human matter.
The spectacled penguin is not yet considered a rare species (at the end of the 70s, the total population size was 100-170 thousand individuals), but the emerging threat to this species required the adoption of special conservation measures. Since 1969, the collection of spectacled penguin eggs has been prohibited; Since 1973, this species has been protected by a special act, and a little later included in the Red Book of South Africa and included in Appendix 2 of CITES.
It is hoped that conservation will achieve the desired results and the spectacled penguin will once again become an important exploited resource in South Africa.
It is the only member of the large penguin family that has settled in southwest Africa. They settle on the coasts in colonies. Its body length is 60–70cm, weight 2–5kg. Females are slightly smaller than males. The belly, chest are white, the back, head and paws are black.
Short feathers fit tightly to each other, protecting the skin from getting wet, heat and hypothermia. Of course, everyone knows that penguins don't fly. But they are excellent swimmers and divers; they can survive under water without air for up to 3 minutes, while diving to a depth of 30 - 100 m. While swimming, it reaches speeds of up to 20 km/h, jumps out of the water and dives again.
He has a streamlined body, strong wings with which he pushes off, and his paws act as a rudder. On land, they waddle awkwardly, stepping with webbed paws. Spectacled penguins feed on small fish, such as anchovies, sardines, and fish fry. They hunt for crustaceans and mollusks.
His most formidable enemies are humans, mongooses, leopards and seagulls, and ibises. People collect eggs and feed on them, while predators also feast on the chicks.
Penguins nest in rocky areas. Sometimes they dig holes, but more often they use small holes hidden by vegetation. Having formed a couple, they remain faithful to each other for life. They return from the sea to their previous nesting site; if the meeting does not take place due to the death of a partner, then a new companion can be found. Typically, the female lays two eggs.
Parents take turns incubating their offspring for 40 days. The newly born chick climbs onto the paws of its mother or father. The first two weeks he is in dire need of protection and warmth, and of course food. The little penguin is dressed in gray and white fluff. At about a month of age, the chicks form a nursery, huddled together. Now the parents are more free and go for feeding 100 or more kilometers from the coast.
The babies molt and get stronger, leave the colony at 3-4 months of age, now they are independent and independent - they get their own food and defend themselves. They will stay at sea for 10 to 22 months, then return to where they were born. Before molting, adult individuals swim in the sea for a month, intensively eating and getting fat. They need to survive for 20 days, which is how long the molt lasts. Losing weight, they will wait until their plumage is completely restored and then go back to sea.
This penguin is also called the donkey penguin because of its shrill cry.
Listed in the International Red Book.
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