Macaroni penguin populations under threat from other seabirds

The greatest threat to declining macaroni penguin numbers in the South Atlantic island of South Georgia, have been found to be the seabird giant petrels who prey on the chicks and fledglings

Led by researchers from the British Antarctic Survey, the team of scientists been fitting tiny electronic tags to adult and fledgling macaroni penguin since 2003. Then, using an electronic scanner placed at the entrance to their colony, they have been recording each bird’s identification number as it came and went, over a period of ten consecutive breeding seasons 

Lead author Catharine Horswill, from BAS, says:

“Penguins are facing rapid changes in their environment, but at South Georgia, in the southwest Atlantic, we found compelling evidence that predators are the most important factor influencing the survival of chicks as they leave the colony for the first time. This is a big leap forward as we had no idea that predation could be such a strong driving force. Knowing what drives survival rates of penguins puts us in a much better place to predict how these populations may change in the future.”

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Rare Twice-Hatched Macaroni Penguin Meets Its Parents

ROYAL OAK (CBS 62) - The Detroit Zoo celebrated the birth of a macaroni penguin chick on May 25 – and celebrated its rebirth the next day. Using a rare and little-known technique previously employed with success on other bird species at the Detroit Zoo, animal care staff placed the incubator-hatched penguin chick back in its egg to be “hatched” again by a set of foster parents.

credit: Detroit Zoo

Typically, penguin eggs are incubated and hatched and the chicks hand-reared by animal care staff off-exhibit at the Detroit Zoo’s Penguinarium to better ensure their survival. The youngsters join the mature penguin colony about three months later, after they have fledged or grown their adult feathers for swimming.

“This is a rare opportunity for our visitors to see penguins rearing a chick,” said Detroit Zoological Society Curator of Birds Tom Schneider.

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