Where do Magellanic penguins live?
Penguins are birds and have wings and lay eggs. But unlike other birds, they cannot fly. While flying birds are light, penguins have thick, heavy bones, which allow them to dive and swim underwater. Their wings are mostly like flippers that are adapted to help penguins “fly” through the water. The torpedo shape of their bodies and wings helps them swim quickly. They have three hundred times more feathers than flying birds of the same size, a layer of down that traps air for insulation, and an outer layer of feathers that can be folded together to form a waterproof shell. Their feathers also help regulate the penguin’s body temperature. They spend up to three hours a day grooming themselves to make sure their feathers are clean.
Penguins have been on Earth for 50 million years, and over that time have adapted to life in many regions of the Southern Hemisphere. They live along the coasts of South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, as well as on nearby islands, including the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, where the northernmost penguins live.
So why are penguins black and white? This adaptation is a type of camouflage called countershading, which makes them difficult to see by both their predators and their prey. When penguins are in the water, their white chests block them from being seen against the bright sky below. From above, their black backs help them blend in with the deep blue ocean waters. At sea, penguin predators include seals, sea lions, and killer whales.
Magellanic penguins build their nests on rocky, sandy beaches along the southern coasts of Argentina and Chile and on the Falkland Islands during the breeding season. The largest colony of Magellanic penguins, with more than 200,000 breeding pairs, is located at Punta Tombo in Argentina. If the nest is not destroyed during the year, Magellanic penguins can use the same nest for several years.
Penguins call to identify each other. Each penguin's call is as unique as a human fingerprint. Many Magellanic penguins are loyal to their mates. They nest once a year, usually in October. The female lays two eggs four days apart. The parents take turns incubating the eggs, lying on their bellies on the nest, and caring for the chicks after they hatch. The time it takes for the chicks to grow and fledge depends on the availability of food and the parents' success in foraging.
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