Where do Humboldt penguins get their name?<\/h2>
Spheniscus humboldti<\/em> is named after the cold-water current it swims in, which is itself named after the Prussian naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt.<\/p> The Humboldt penguin has a white front with black flecks and a single black band across the top. It has a black back and tail and a black and white head with a large area of pink skin, which runs from the eyes to the black beak and continues under the chin.<\/p> The black feet may also have pink patches. The dark grey and whitish juveniles lack the chest band, and the chicks are greyish-brown and white.<\/p> The Humboldt Penguin is found along the coastlines and associated small islands of Peru and Chile<\/p> 65\u201370cm (25.6\u201327.6in), 4\u20135kg (8.8\u201311lb) depending on time of year and gender.<\/p> Their diet includes a variety of fish including Peruvian anchovy, Peruvian silverside and Araucanian herring, plus some squid.<\/p> At sea they are predated by orcas and South American fur seals, while on land eggs and chicks are killed by dogs and feral cats, kelp gulls, Turkey vultures and rats.<\/p> The Humboldt penguin has two main breeding seasons, depending on the location. They usually nest in a burrow excavated in ancient guano.<\/p> Two similarly sized eggs are usually laid 2\u20134 days apart, and after six weeks of incubation by both parents also hatch around 2\u20134 days apart.<\/p> Both chicks are usually raised and stay in the burrow for the first 2\u20133 weeks, with the parents alternating between brooding and foraging.<\/p> The chicks do not form cr\u00e8ches, so once old enough they are left unattended, allowing both parents to forage and usually fledge between 10 and 13 weeks.<\/p> Around 23,800 mature individuals and decreasing.<\/p> The Humboldt penguin population is highly susceptible to El Ni\u00f1o events, which are predicted to increase in intensity and frequency with climate change. During these events, nests can flood and the sharp rise in sea temperature reduces prey availability, leading to mass starvation and breeding failure.<\/p> Commercial fishing, especially gillnet fishing, is an ongoing threat, as is the potential for oil pollution.<\/p> Vulnerable (IUCN Red List 2020).<\/p> Wildlife photographer Ursula Clare Franklin’s new book, Mission Penguin, <\/em>chronicles her journey to capture all 18 penguin species worldwide, from the Galapagos to Antarctica. Available from 24th<\/sup> October, published by Bloomsbury Wildlife.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Explore the lives of these fascinating creatures… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":43042,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/humboldt-penguin-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-got-their-name.jpg",2480,1410,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/humboldt-penguin-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-got-their-name-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/humboldt-penguin-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-got-their-name-300x171.jpg",300,171,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/humboldt-penguin-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-got-their-name-768x437.jpg",768,437,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/humboldt-penguin-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-got-their-name-1024x582.jpg",800,455,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/humboldt-penguin-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-got-their-name-1536x873.jpg",1536,873,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/10\/humboldt-penguin-guide-where-they-live-what-they-eat-and-how-they-got-their-name-2048x1164.jpg",2048,1164,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Explore the lives of these fascinating creatures...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/43041"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to identify Humboldt penguins<\/h2>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/08\/humboldt_3.jpg\")
Where do Humboldt penguins live?<\/h2>
How big are Humboldt penguins?<\/h2>
What do Humboldt penguins eat?<\/h2>
Which animals are their predators?<\/h2>
What are the breeding habits of the Humboldt penguin?<\/h2>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2024\/08\/humboldt_2.jpg\")
What’s the population of the Humboldt penguin?<\/h2>
What\u2019s the main threat to the Humboldt penguin?<\/h2>
What\u2019s their conservation status?<\/h2>
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"