Birds · Sphenisciformes · Spheniscidae

Chinstrap Penguin

Pygoscelis antarcticus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The chinstrap penguin is a penguin found in the South Sandwich Islands, Antarctica, the South Orkney Islands, the South Shetlands, South Georgia, Bouvet Island, the Balleny Islands and Peter I Island. Its name comes from the thin black band on the lower part of its head, which makes it look as though it is wearing a black helmet and makes it one of the most easily identified penguins.

Weight

3 kg – 6 kg

Size

68 cm – 76 cm

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

OceanPolarIslandsCarnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Ocean Polar Islands

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Fun facts

GeneralIts name comes from the thin black line across its chin, like a helmet strap.
It sleeps in micronaps: while incubating, the adults guarding the nest rack up more than ten thousand bouts of sleep of about four seconds each over the course of the day, adding up to eleven hours of sleep without ever ceasing to be alert. It is a pattern not known in any other vertebrate.
The colony on Zavodovski Island, in the crater of an active volcano, holds more than a million chinstrap penguins: it is the largest penguin colony in the world.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Rocky coasts and ice-free slopes of the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands of the South Atlantic
Sexual maturity: 4 years
Gestation / incubation: 36 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygoscelis_antarcticus