Penguin News Stories

February 20, 2013 - Birding travel can be big business, but one resort in Chile claims that birds are a disruption and ordered workers to kill penguin chicks because of the foul smell the nests could generate.

February 12, 2013 - More than two-thirds of the world's penguin species are vulnerable, threatened or endangered, so any mass penguin deaths are cause for concern. More than 40 adult yellow-eyed penguins have died in recent weeks, with the deaths spread among most local breeding colonies.

November 24, 2012 - Penguin lovers have reason to be thankful with the discovery of two new emperor penguin breeding sites. The two colonies in Antarctica are home to 6,000 previously unknown chicks, which effectively triples the number of breeding emperor penguins believed to be in the area.

October 27, 2012 - Several bird photos were among the finalists for the 2012 Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, but the well-deserved winner is an astonishing shot of Emperor penguins swimming underwater in Antarctica's Ross Sea.

October 13, 2012 - Today is African Penguin Awareness Day, an annual event sponsored by SANCCOB, a South African organization dedicated to the preservation of seabirds. Today's goal is to raise money and awareness to help save these endangered penguins.

June 29, 2012 - Many birders understand the threat that feral cats pose to wild birds, but loose dogs can be just as dangerous. A blue penguin colony at Cape Foulwind in New Zealand has been decimated, with at least 15 penguins killed by dogs. Bite wounds on the birds' bodies have been confirmed to have been caused by dogs, and dog paw prints were found nearby.

June 23, 2012 - As the global temperature climbs, melting Antarctic ice is threatening penguin populations. The loss of ice decreases local krill populations, a critical food source for many penguins. Recent research has shown a decrease of more than 30 percent in chinstrap penguins, and local Adelie penguin populations are also declining.

May 29, 2012 - The Humboldt penguin that escaped from the Tokyo Sea Life Park more than two months ago and was recently spotted still in Tokyo Bay has been successfully returned home. The bird was recaptured May 24 and is healthy.

May 19, 2012 - A Humboldt penguin that escaped from the Tokyo Sea Life Park in March has recently been sighted in Tokyo Bay near the Rainbow Bridge. The bird has been positively identified by a band on its flipper, and it appears to be a good weight and otherwise healthy.

April 17, 2012 - Dirk, the fairy penguin stolen over the weekend, has been safely recovered and returned home to Sea World in Queensland, Australia. The bird was stolen by three men who bragged about the crime and posted photos on Facebook.