Humboldt Penguin

This is one of the four species of Penguin in the new Penguin Plunge exhibit at the Calgary Zoo. Really bad light inside the exhibit, as far as taking photos is concerned : ( This is one of the very few photos that has come out sharp enough so far, so I'm only very slowly adding new photos to my Penguins set. This species is named after the cold water current it swims in, which is itself named after Alexander von Humboldt, an explorer.



There are 10 Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) at the Zoo. The status of this species is IUCN Red List: Vulnerable. Current Impacts on their numbers are El Niño and La Niña weather patterns, predators, tourism, competition with fisheries, habitat change. Humboldt penguins groom their feathers before breakfast. They rub oil from a gland at the base of the tail into their feathers and the edges of their wings. Humboldts also groom each other. This species digs nesting burrows in thick deposits of seabird guano (poo)."

storage.canoe.ca/v1/suns-prod-images/file/1297237247336_C...

"The current status of this penguin is threatened, due to a declining population caused in part by over-fishing, climate change, and ocean acidification. Historically it was the victim of guano over-exploitation. Penguins are also declining in numbers due to habitat destruction."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_Penguin