Magellanic penguin (Spheniscidae) monitoring results for Magdalena island (Chile) and cabo Virgenes (Argentina): 2000 - 2019

Abstract

Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) are found only in South America, with breeding populations in Chile, Argentina and the Falklands (Malvinas). On Magdalena Island an initial increase in population (59,000 pairs in 2000/01 to 63,000 pairs in 2008/2009) was followed by a population decline (to 43,000 pairs in 2018/19) following a severe drought during 2009 that has left much of the island less suitable for nesting in burrows. The nearby colony situated in Argentina between the lighthouses of Cabo Virgenes and Punta Dungeness has increased in population from 122,000 pairs in 2008/09 to 146,000 pairs in 2018/19. It is likely that this increase is a result of penguins leaving Magdalena Island. Penguins nesting alongside the tourist path showed a reduction in predation and an increase in breeding success.