Illustration: Graphite, charcoal and pastel on Canson paper, 21 x 29 cm.
Patricio Paretti. MIGRATORIAS
Common name: | King penguin |
Scientific name: | Aptenodytes patagonica |
Kind: | Bird |
Order: | Spheniscidae |
Size: | Length between 85 and 95 cm. |
DESCRIPTION
Flightless seabird. In size it is the second largest penguin among the 18 existing species. It has a black head; dark blue-grey posterior neck and hindquarters; chest and foreparts white; strong orange-yellow neck and upper chest, with a “gulf” type entrance to the ears. Its bill is thin, slightly curved downward, and black with an orange lateral line. Its legs are grey.
ENVIRONMENT AND NOURISHMENT
It is distributed in the extreme southern seas, from Patagonia to Australia. The subspecies Patagonicus inhabits the waters of the extreme south of South America towards the east. It is a migratory bird that moves in search of food, from its breeding areas on sub-Antarctic islands to the Antarctic circumpolar waters. In Chile, there is a small colony in Inutil Bay (Tierra del Fuego), which was established from 2010.
Regarding their diet, this is made up of krill, small fish, crustaceans and cephalopods (squid).
PROCREATION
They take between 14 to 16 months from the lay of the only egg of the clutch until they finish raising the chick. For this reason, they breed twice every three years.
The nesting cycle begins when both adults go ashore to shed feathers; then they return to the sea for about 20 days to feed themselves and acquire reserves. The females place the egg on the ground or in the pasture (they do not build nests), which is incubated by both parents who take turns placing it on the legs and covering it with the feathers of their abdomen. The incubation time is 54 days.
The chicks stay with their parents for 30 to 40 days, before they can be left alone. During this time, the adults take turns going to the sea to feed themselves. Once the chicks have grown enough, they stay in the “chick nurseries”: places where all the young gather while their parents go to feed themselves. It will not be until 10 to 13 months that the little ones will have grown enough to feed themselves in the sea.
THREATS TO SURVIVAL
In the case of the colony established in Tierra del Fuego, the main threat to its conservation is the presence of introduced species such as mink, which interferes with the rearing of king chicks, as well as other species.
At the world level, the penguin does not present great threats, with a population that has been increasing.
CONSERVATION
According to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species is in category LC (Least Concern). In Chile it does not have a conservation category.
Illustration: Graphite, charcoal and pastel on Canson paper, 21 x 29 cm.
Patricio Paretti. MIGRATORIAS