Spheniscus humboldti
English: Humboldt Penguin.
Zoology
Humboldt penguin is a medium sized penguin of 56 – 70 cm height and 3, 6 – 5, 9 kg weight. The head is black with a white border running from behind the eye, around the ear-coverts and chin that joins at the neck. They have a black line below the neck and white abdomen and thighs. They have a pink bill. Their juveniles are of grey coloration. They have spines on their tongues used for holding their prey. Humboldt penguins nest on islands and rocky coasts, they burrow holes in guano or they dig holes into the snow or caves. In South America they live along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. After the eggs hatched, the chicks are cared for, protected and fed by the parents. Humboldt penguins can be sometimes slightly mischievous – for example they steal rocks from each other’s nest and use them for building their own one. But the fact that we can hardly (if ever) see them in mutual combat, offers us a warm regard for this bird. In contrast to their appearance, penguins are prodigious climbers and they generally breed on exposed rocks, cliffs, often high above the beach, on the beaches with tussock grass, with the exception of the largest of the penguins, The Emperor Penguin, which is the only bird that breeds on the frozen sea in the coldest and most inhospitable condition on Earth. Most penguins lay two eggs and incubation is shared by both the adults.
Humboldt penguins are named by a naturalist, astronomer and Explorer, Baron Alexander von Humboldt, who during his exploration journey in 1804 in Peru discovered a new species of until then unnamed penguin, and made notes of it into his notebook. Only 28 years later, when a German naturalist Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen during his expedition to Peru and Bolivia encountered the penguins first described by Alexander von Humboldt, assigned them the name in honour of Alexander von Humboldt.
Humboldt penguins are sociable birds living in relatively large colonies, where communication comes important. Colonies are useful because they offer collective protection against predators. In contrast to Antarctic penguins that meet together in large colonies in order to keep the warmth, Humboldt penguins do not have to do this because they live in warm and mild climate. Humboldt penguins seek security and comfort in the nest of their burrow. Humboldt penguins, as well as all other penguins, are monogamous. Paired penguins can recognise each other in a colony by vocal and visual mechanisms. Parents and offspring can easily identify each other also by sight and sound. Each penguin has a unique voice enabling the partner or the offspring to identify it. In general, they live from 20 to 25 years. At present they face distinction, in 2009 their population was estimated at 3,000 to 12,000. Birdlife International strives for their preservation.
The prevailing feature of the penguin is its the desire for freedom, balance and peace, keeping the balance during a demanding period in a difficult life situation, is of a gentle soul.