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Home > Meet Our Animals > Birds > Other Birds > Humboldt penguin
Humboldt penguin
Spheniscus humboldti
 
Size Between 26-28 inches long.
Weight They weigh 8-13 pounds.
Conservation Status On the 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Humboldt penguin is listed as Vulnerable.
Diet In the wild, Humboldt penguins eat small schooling fish like anchovies and sardines. In the Zoo, they receive five types of fish. Their diet is based on the calories needed for different stages of life along with a variety of supplemental vitamins. They are fed three times a day at the Zoo. Trout and silversides seem to be their favorite fish, although their preferences do change at different times of the year.
Geographic Range The Humboldt penguin is found on the west coast of South America along the coast of Chile and Peru in the region of the cold water Humboldt current.
Where to find me in the Zoo Bird Valley
Note: Description below should include Longevity, Behavior, and Reproduction information

The Humboldt penguin is mostly blackish-gray in color with a white breast. The adults have a black horseshoe shaped band on the breast and a white head stripe. They are between 26 and 28 inches long and weigh 8-13 pounds. Males are slightly larger than females. The Humboldt penguin has a strong and powerful bill that is black with a gray transverse bar and a hooked tip. Their flipper is a modified wing that lacks flight feathers. When on land they look ungainly, but in the water they are amazing streamlined swimmers.

Humboldt penguins nest on islands or on rocky stretches of mainland coast, especially in areas with cliffs. 
 

Longevity

Humboldt penguins live an average of 10 years but birds in captivity can live longer than 20 years.

Reproduction

The penguins breed in large colonies known as rookeries. They use their feet to excavate burrows or nest in caves or natural crevices. Their nests are lined with feathers and are constructed by the male. They will breed any time of year, and females usually lay a clutch of two or rarely three eggs. The eggs are laid about three days apart. Incubation is 40 days and is done by both parents. Both parents also feed the chicks by regurgitation. One of the largest known breeding colonies is found at Punta San Juan, Peru.

Behavior

Humboldt penguins are intensely social and gregarious and are usually found in groups. They have superb swimming skills, which rivals seals and porpoises.

Adaptations

The wings of the Humboldt penguin have evolved into flippers that propel them through the water. Their stiff, close-packed feathers overlap for better insulation and water proofing, and their bodies are highly streamlined to ease their passage through water.

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There are 15 Humboldt penguins at the Zoo: 8 males, 7 females and one chick of unknown sex.

Loverboy: Male, arrived from Sea World on October 14, 1993. He has a pink band on his right flipper.
Lemonhead: Female, hatched on December 22, 1990 and arrived from Sea World on October 14, 1993. She has a yellow band on her left flipper.
Rocko: Male, arrived from Sea World on October 14, 1993. He has a green band on his right flipper.
Winkie: Female, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on May 12, 1996. She does not have a band on either of her flippers.
Mutato: Female, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on March 12, 1997. She has a green-pink-green band on her left flipper.
Emperor: Male, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on April 6, 2000. He has a blue-pink band on this right flipper.
Otis: Male, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on May 28, 2001. He has a blue-white band on his right flipper.
Little Bird Junior (LBJ): Female, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on May 31, 2001. She has a yellow-white band on her left flipper.
Calfred: Female, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on April 18, 2002. She has a yellow-pink band on her left flipper.
Shawn: Male, arrived from Denver Zoo on October 11, 2007. He has a yellow band with blue beads on his right flipper.
Shamrock: Male, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on March 17, 2009. He has a green-white-green band on his right flipper.
Jamaican Me Crazy: Male, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on April 9, 2009. He has a yellow-green-orange band on his right flipper.
Tequila: Female, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on January 11, 2010. She has a yellow-green band on her left flipper.
Margherita: Female, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on January 26, 2011.

And one unnamed penguin. Female, hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo on April 13, 2000.  She has a pink band on her left flipper.

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Fun Facts

  • Humboldts have superb swimming skills rivaling seals and porpoises.
  • The wings of the Humboldt penguin have evolved into flippers that propel them through the water. Their feathers are stiff and closely packed to serve as insulation and waterproofing.
  • Both male and female Humboldt penguins share parental responsibilities including feeding their chicks.

Conservation

Introductions

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Sources: (1) Philadelphia Zoo staff. (2) del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., and Sargatal, J., eds. 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1 Lynx. Barcelona: Edicions. (3) IUCN 2007. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 04 January 2008.