Population Decline Raises Alarm
The El Nino phenomenon is accelerating the decline of the Humboldt penguin, a species already affected by years of population decrease, Carlos Zavalaga, director of the Research Unit in Ecology and Conservation of Seabirds at the Universidad Cientifica del Sur, warned this Tuesday during a visit to Isla Foca, in Peru’s Piura region.
Footage shows a significantly smaller number of Humboldt penguins on the island than in previous years.Zavalaga explained that different studies had already documented a reduction of close to 60 percent in the population in recent years.
Extinction Risk Grows Higher
“So there were, like, by the summer of 2025, approximately 5,500 penguins left. So if that remaining population is being affected by the current El Nino [phenomenon]
then there will be fewer penguins in the coming years, and therefore extinction is one possible scenario,” he added.
El Nino Worsens Conditions
According to Zavalaga, the arrival of warm waters associated with El Nino intensified starting in May, causing nest abandonment,
the dispersal of the birds toward colder waters, and an increase in mortality. The warming of the sea displaces anchoveta, their main food source.
Multiple Threats Persist
The researcher added that the warming of the sea is not the only threat to the Humboldt penguin. Avian flu, fishing activity, pollution, and habitat degradation are also hindering the population’s recovery.
The Humboldt penguin is an endemic species of the coasts of Peru and Chile. Its distribution extends from Isla Foca, in northern Peru, to Isla Guafo, in southern Chile.
Article by Viory
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