![]() A small nest is built using vegetation, peat and pebbles. Climate variation is suspected to have a significant impact on the productivity and prey abundance within the penguins’ main foraging regions, and is likely to be the underlying cause of the massive population decline recorded on the Falkland Islands.Īdults arrive at their breeding colony in October-November with males returning about a week earlier than females. Egg collection and predation by humans may still occur at some sites in southern Chile. The only mainland record was a bird at Victory Beach, Otago Peninsula, in February 2019.Ĭommercial fisheries and oil exploitation have been identified as significant threats to western rockhopper penguin. It is possible that all sightings were of the same two birds. At least two were present between November 1986 and March 1997, mainly among roosting Snares crested penguins on coastal rocks, with the last sighting of a single bird in February 2000. Recorded initially from the Snares Islands, where a bird occupied an empty nest in a Snares crested penguin colony during the 1985-87 penguin breeding seasons. The total population size is currently estimated to be c.775,000 breeding pairs, with an on-going decline suspected. Western rockhopper penguins have experienced a significant decline in population numbers on the Falkland Islands, by some 1.4 million pairs (87%) since 1932. They disperse widely outside the breeding season. ![]() ![]() ![]() The main breeding colonies are on the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), and on islands off southern Chile. The western rockhopper penguin inhabits the southern Atlantic Ocean and the vicinity of the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn. Moseley’s rockhopper penguin also has black skin at the base of the bill, but as an adult has much more luxuriant, pendulous yellow crests that extend well below the black-white demarcation line on the throat. Similar species: eastern rockhopper penguin has pink skin at the base of the bill, and the eye-brow stripe in front of the eye is narrower and parallel-sided (cf. Voice: more rapid and harsh than in other crested penguins described as “shrill and unmusical”. Immature birds are generally smaller than adults and have a greyer throat and less well-developed crests. The eyes are bright red, and the feet and legs pink with black soles. The orange-red bill is separated from the feathers by a thin strip of black skin. The flippers are blue-black with a thin white trailing edge the underside is white with a black tip and a thin grey leading edge. The two yellow crests are joined across the hind-crown by a shorter, black occipital crest. The dangling plumes reach to the vicinity of the black-white demarcation line on the throat (cf. thin and parallel in eastern rockhopper), extending back horizontally and spreading out into long, drooping yellow plumes behind the eyes. This expands into a wedge or triangle in front of the eye (cf. The crest starts as a narrow, sulphur-yellow stripe about 1-2 cm above the gape. The underparts are white with a sharp demarcation to black at the throat. The head, face, back and tail are black or dark grey, with a blue sheen immediately after moulting, and dull brown cast just before. The western rockhopper penguin is a small crested penguin that can be distinguished from related species by the form of its crests, and the absence of pale skin at the base of the bill. On the Falkland Islands western rockhopper penguins have experienced a significant decline in population numbers, some 1.4 million pairs (87%) in the past 80 years. They are the form of rockhopper penguin that inhabits the southern region of the Atlantic Ocean – with a stronghold on the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) – and southern Chile. The western rockhopper penguin is a very rare vagrant in the New Zealand region, having been recorded at the Snares Islands only, where at least two individuals were present between 19.
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