Next time you’re in need of an odd animal fact to fill a conversational lull, consider the nesting preferences of the Humboldt penguin. To protect their eggs and hatchlings from sun, heat and other elements, they dig nests and burrows out of the accumulated guano (poop) of generations of Humboldt penguins and other sea birds.
Native to western South America, Humboldt penguins take their name from the Humboldt current that flows a few miles offshore. They breed—and dig their poop nests—along a narrow strip of coast from Foca Island in Peru to Guafo Island in Chile. The rocky coast and islands where these temperate penguins live don’t offer much protection from predators and the elements, especially the heat of the sun.
Which is where the poop nests come in. A tunnel, nest or burrow dug into guano makes an excellent shelter, especially for eggs and hatchlings.
Unfortunately, sea bird poop also makes an excellent fertilizer and the mining of guano within the penguin’s range devastated Humboldt populations in the 19th and early 20th century.
Today, with the development of synthetic and other fertilizers, guano mining is not the threat it once was, but the legacy of guano mining remains. It can take a long time for guano to become deep enough for nesting so many Humboldt’s are still forced to build their nests in whatever shelter they can find, usually under rocky overhangs or in shallow caves.
Other challenges—like marine pollution, artisanal and industrial fishing, and climate change-driven change to the Humboldt current—are also taking their toll on Humboldt populations, and these penguins are once again considered a species at vulnerable to extinction.
Flightless Birds in a Changing World
Like all penguins, Humboldts are flightless and adapted for a life in the sea, rather than the sky. They hunt in the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Humboldt Current, the world’s largest marine upwelling, that flows a few miles offshore. They are excellent swimmers and deep divers in their pursuit of anchovies and other fish.
Within the Humboldt marine ecosystem, notes Angelo Aguilar, a fisheries specialist for TNC Peru’s Oceans program, “Humboldt penguins are important to the balance of the whole ecosystem, both as predator and as prey for sea lions and sharks. Their dynamic place in the ecosystem contributes to the health of the food chain.”
Endemic to both Chile and Peru, Humboldts are medium-sized penguins and grow to between 66-70 centimeters (about 2 feet) and weigh between 4-5 kilograms (8-10 pounds). They reach sexual maturity at about the age of 3 and, when food and shelter are stable and abundant, can live to between 15-20 years. The males tend to be larger than the females.
They’re one of four species of “banded penguins,” named for the curving black band that runs across their chests. (The other banded penguin species are the Magellanic, African and Galapagos.)
Humboldt penguins expel heat from their bodies through small pink patches of bare skin around their eyes and the bases of their bills. In hot weather, they can look like sun-burned tourists who stayed too long in the sun. And while Humboldts are adapted to warmer temperatures, they’re highly vulnerable to climate change.
For Humboldts and so many other species, life is all about the Humboldt Current and the vital connection between the land and sea.
Help for Humboldt Penguins in Peru
In Peru, it’s most common to see Humboldt’s in protected natural areas like System of Guano Islands, Islets and Peninsulas National Reserve (Ballestas Island, San Juan capes) and Paracas National Reserve. Additionally, Illescas National Reserve is the most northern place in Peru where Humboldt penguins can be found. Since 2022, TNC has been working with the Peruvian government to evaluate the feasibility of different marine conservation schemes to protect the biodiversity of Illescas. One of the emblematic species that could benefit from these efforts is the Humboldt penguin, along with other species.
The Peruvian government has also moved to provide specific legal protections for Humboldts by prohibiting their hunting, possession, capture, transportation and export for commercial purposes. Currently, under the leadership of the Peruvian government, efforts have begun to develop a conservation plan to protect Humboldt penguins and sea otters, as they are endangered, and their natural habitats are threatened.
Additionally, Peru’s National Service of Natural Protected Areas of the State (SERNANP) is responsible for the management of the protected natural areas where the Humboldt penguin lives. The Ministry of the Environment (MINAM) is in charge of coordinating environmental and conservation policies and works on the regulation and control of species trafficking.
On the science side, says Aguilar, “The are different institutions that support and fund studies to monitoring and assessing the population and ecology of the Humboldt penguin, which helps to develop more effective conservation strategies.”
A Hopeful Future for Humboldts and the Humboldt Current
For more than a decade, TNC has advanced conservation of the iconic Humboldt Current. In addition to its importance to animals like Humbolt penguins, this marine ecosystem is also a lifeline for thousands of fishers and communities, enabling them to survive and prosper.
In a collective effort with local communities in Ecuador, Peru and Chile, TNC helps safeguard marine biodiversity and promote the sustainable use of marine resources. As in all of TNC’s work, science is the foundation for actions to advance the recovery and resilience of the Humboldt Current.
Using tools like FishPath, which enables sustainable fisheries in areas with limited data, alongside Electronic Monitoring, TNC supports fisheries sectors in their efforts to reduce unreported and unregulated fishing, promote responsible fishing practices, and protect marine ecosystems.
In Peru, TNC works closely with SERNANP and artisanal fishing organizations to strengthen good practices in artisanal fishing within marine-coastal protected natural areas, like Illescas National Reserve. These actions aim to specifically reduce the bycatch and incidental capture of Humboldts and other species.
In this regard, Aguilar stresses that the conservation of marine resources requires the joint and coordinated work of different institutions, especially public-private partnerships, that allow for local community-based contributions. It’s important that communities are involved in all aspects, notes Aguilar, from basic research to the implementation of public policy.
“The involvement of communities throughout this process,” he says, “is essential to ensure the effective compliance of such measures.”
Humboldt penguins have come back from the edge of extinction before—it will take the continued efforts of local communities, governments and partners to bring them back again.