(Spheniscus humboldti)

Location: Coastal islands of Peru and northern Chile, offshore islands of northern Peru and Chile, west coast of South America

Habitat: Rocky coastline bordering cold, ocean water

Humboldt penguins are warm climate penguins, unlike their Antarctic relatives. Humboldt penguins inhabit areas with more temperate climates like Peru and Chile. Their diet in the wild consists of fish such as anchovies and pilchards. They eat a similar diet here at the Akron Zoo. Penguins are flightless birds, but they have amazing mobility in the water. Their flipper-like wings and solid bones help them "fly" in the ocean in search of food.

Humboldt penguins are also called Peruvian or Jackass penguins, due to where they are found (Peru) and the noise that they make (which sounds like a donkey). Breeding season for these birds is year round. Penguins nest in pairs on the shore in rock burrows or near foliage. They nest in guano, piles of accumulated bird droppings. The parents also will line the nest with pebbles, pieces of wood, and fish bones. Humboldt penguins lay two eggs, but typically only one survives.

The Humboldt penguin is currently an endangered species. This is due primarily to commercial harvesting of guano for agricultural fertilizer. Without nesting locations, the Humboldt penguins are in serious danger of extinction. Some estimates indicate the possibility of extinction in the wild in the next 10 years. The Akron Zoo houses these penguins as part of the Species Survival Plan, which is a cooperative effort with other zoos to save endangered species through work in captivity and in the wild.

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