Marine Wildlife Encyclopedia
Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus
One of two species of black-and-white penguin from South America, the Magellanic penguin is identified by the two black bands across its breast. It feeds in the cold waters that flow northward from the Southern Ocean, eating small, shoal-forming fish such as sardines. Like its close relative, the Humboldt penguin, the Magellanic penguin nests in burrows, raising up to two chicks each year.
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zoom image- Order Sphenisciformes
- Height 28 in (71 cm)
- Weight 12 lb (5.5 kg)
- Habitat Rocky coasts, open ocean
- Distribution Southern South America, Falkland Islands, south Atlantic and south Pacific
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