Gentoo Penguin (Pygoscelis papua) colony, Gerlache Strait, Antarctic Peninsula
Gentoo penguins breed on many sub-Antarctic islands. The main colonies are on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Kerguelen Islands; smaller populations are found on Macquarie Island, Heard Islands, South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The total breeding population is estimated to be over 300,000 pairs. Nests are usually made from a roughly circular pile of stones. The stones are jealously guarded and their ownership can be the subject of noisy disputes between individual penguins. They are also prized by the females, even to the point that a male penguin can obtain the favors of a female by offering her a nice stone. - The IUCN Red List lists the gentoo as "near threatened", due to a rapid decline in some key populations which is believed to be driving a moderate overall decline in the species population.
Year: 2016
From album: Antarctic Biodiversity
Photographer: Peter Prokosch