The Magellanic Penguin is a medium-sized penguin at 76 cm (30 inches) tall. It is one of four species of banded penguins, which refers to the black stripe across the chest and down the sides. They are easy to identify by the black band, as their range does not overlap with other banded species.
Penguins of the World
A new page is coming soon on Birdtripper.
A major article on Penguins of the world is coming soon on Birdtripper. This article will cover everything about the 18 species, including maps of where to find them and photos of each species. The species will be listed by size and also by groups. They are divided into three sizes: small, medium and large. They will also be organized by groups. There are four distinct groups, with one group being the four banded species that include the Magellanic Penguin.
Where to find the Magellanic Penguin
This penguin species is found on the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina, as well as in the Falkland Islands.
The best place to see them is Sea-Lion Island, which is part of the Falkland Islands but is a 40-minute flight south of the Falklands airport at Stanley.
A new page on Birdtripper is coming soon, detailing everything you need to know for a trip to Seal Lion Island.
If you are not going to the Falkland Islands, Magdalena Island in Chile is another place to see them. This island is 32 km from Punta Arenas in the Magellan Strait, which takes about 40 minutes. (Take medicine for travel sickness if you are prone to that.) The trip costs $159 U.S. at the time of writing (as usual, all prices named on Birdtripper are subject to change). You will have about one hour on the island.
Another place is Punta Tombo in Argentina.
On Sea Lion Island, you can spend as much time as you wish with the penguins. They are very tame and easy to photograph.
Note that penguins spend most of their time at sea when not nesting. January is the best time to visit Sea Lion Island and the other locations mentioned here.
Magellanic Penguin – Diet
Like all penguins, the Magellanic’s main food is fish. However, they also eat squid, krill, crustaceans and other seafood.
Magellanic Penguin – Nesting
Maganllic Penguin at burrow with chick.
Like most penguins, the Magellanic nests in underground burrows. The photo at the top of this page shows two Magellanic Penguins at the entrance to their burrow. They lay two eggs and incubate them for about 40 days. Both species share in this duty, with one parent at the burrow while the other goes shopping for food.
Their burrows are surprisingly far from the water. The pair in the photo above were nesting almost four km from the coast. This is a long walk for a penguin, and the ground is not exactly flat and easy to cross.
Threats
Threats to Magellanic penguins come from Sea Lions, Skuas, and Giant petrels. They are also a food source for Pumas (Cougars) in Argentina.
However, those predators are part of the natural other of things. They do not kill enough penguins to make a dent in their population. A much bigger throat is an oil spill. Tankers regularly discharge used oil, which kills more than 40,000 penguins annually along the coast of Argentina.