Newsletter June 2007

A Magellanic Penguin was found along the Peruvian coast in the Paracas National Reserve. The bird is native to the Straight of Magellan and the surrounding areas in the extreme south of Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. For some reason the penguin got off course and strayed more than 3000 miles on its own, ending just 14 degrees south of the equator.

Species: Spheniscus magellanicus.

Experts say it is almost unheard of for the species to stray so far from their breeding grounds. They usually travel in large flocks while searching for food but this one somehow went astray. Wilder Canales, head of the Paracas National Reserve, said “It seems he was disoriented and got lost in the sea due to the different ocean currents. In his endless search for food, he casually moved up to our shores, something that has never happened before.”

The Paracas reserve is home to about 4,000 Humboldt penguins, which scientists are afraid will likely reject their new visitor. David Orosco, a biologist from the area, said “Conditions in the park are not the ones it is used to. They usually seek out their own species, and it could suffer discrimination.”

A magellanic penguin at its burrow.

The penguin was found by a fisherman and suffered only a small wound on its right wing caused by fishing net. Peruvian authorities are trying to coordinate with their Chilean counterparts to return the penguin to its home. Mr. Orosco said he also was trying to contact colleagues in Chile to arrange a return.

The Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) has a world population of 1.5 million breeding pairs that live on the coasts of Chile and Argentina. However the species is classified as "Near Threatened," primarily due to the vulnerability of large breeding colonies to oil spills. These oil spills kill 20,000 adults and 22,000 juveniles every year off the coast of Argentina. The decline of fish populations is also responsible, as well as predators including sea lions and giant petrels, which prey on both the chicks and the adults.

Source: Wikipedia.org, Msnbc.com, Mercopress.com

PAST NEWSLETTERS:

• Newsletter December 2007
• Newsletter November 2007
• Newsletter October 2007
• Newsletter September 2007
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• Newsletter July 2007
• Newsletter June 2007
• Newsletter May 2007
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• Newsletter February 2007
• Newslette January 2007