All About Magellanic Penguins
Magellanic Penguins are the largest of the warm weather penguins. These penguins measure about 27 inches tall and weigh approximately 9 pounds. Magellanic Penguins live and breed in the Falklands, Argentina, and in Chile. These penguins make their nests under bushes or burrows under rocks. The female penguin almost always lays two eggs and both chicks normally survive. The eggs are cared for by both mother and father penguins and will hatch after approximately 39-42 days. Once the chicks have hatched, both parents share the responsibility of feeding and protecting them for about 29 days. At this point the chicks molt. The chicks will leave their nests and go to sea to feed when they are around 60-70 days old. These penguins are not endangered species, however they do struggle with dilemmas such as oil spills, over fishing which decreases their food supply, and the chance of getting caught in fishing nets. While the Magellanic Penguins are on land they are very shy and quite often hide deep in their nests. This penguin was actually named after Ferdinand Magellan who first discovered them in 1519.