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[INTERNATIONAL] · United Kingdom · 17 sources

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Part of situation: Zavodovski Island penguin population decline (2 clusters)

Zavodovski Island penguin population collapses by 63%

chinstrap penguins Zavodovski Island ocean warming Antarctic krill population collapse

The chinstrap penguin population on Zavodovski Island, part of the South Sandwich Islands, has experienced a massive collapse. According to a study published in Current Biology and conducted by the British Antarctic Survey, the number of occupied nests fell by 63% between 2011 and 2025. This decline represents a loss of over half a million breeding birds.

Researchers, led by ecologist Norman Ratcliffe, attribute this drastic reduction to human-caused climate change. Specifically, warming ocean temperatures are causing Antarctic krill—the penguins' primary food source—to migrate toward more southern, colder waters. While the penguins prefer foraging in cooler waters to the northwest of the island, the shifting distribution of krill has disrupted their food supply.

Scientists have ruled out the 2016 eruption of Mount Curry as the primary cause, noting that the population decline began in 2011 and has continued steadily. As a result of this collapse, Zavodovski Island has lost its status as the world's largest penguin colony, a title that has likely passed to the Adélie penguin colony at Cape Adare in the Ross Sea.

Entities

Antarctica · British Antarctic Survey · Cape Adare · Mount Curry · Norman Ratcliffe · South Sandwich Islands · Zavodovski Island

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

Ponad pół miliona zwierząt zniknęło. Największa kolonia pingwinów drastycznie się kurczy [www.infowet.pl]
ALARMANTAN PAD BROJA PINGVINA: NAJVEĆA KOLONIJA NA SVETU IZGUBILA OKO POLA MILIONA PTICA [indeksonline.rs]
„Gewaltiger Einbruch“: Die einst größte Pinguinkolonie der Welt verliert 63 Prozent ihrer Brutvögel [www.kurierverlag.de]
„Gewaltiger Einbruch“: Die einst größte Pinguinkolonie der Welt verliert 63 Prozent ihrer Brutvögel [www.leinetal24.de]
La isla Zavodovski pierde el título de la mayor colonia de pingüinos del mundo - Notiulti [www.notiulti.com]
Cadena biológica acelera deshielo en la Antártida - EnLineaNoticias [elineanoticias.com]
„Gewaltiger Einbruch“: Die einst größte Pinguinkolonie der Welt verliert 63 Prozent ihrer Brutvögel [www.hna.de]
Над 680 000 пингвина са изчезнали от остров край Антарктида за 14 години [petel.bg]
Una isla que albergaba 600. 000 pingüinos barbijo ha perdido casi dos tercios de sus nidos [es.gizmodo.com]
La mayor colonia de pingüinos del mundo pierde más de medio millón de ejemplares [localnews8.com]
La mayor colonia de pingüinos del mundo pierde más de medio millón de ejemplares [keyt.com]
La mayor colonia de pingüinos del mundo pierde más de medio millón de ejemplares [abc17news.com]
Un descenso preocupante: por qué desaparecen pingüinos en una isla volcánica a 2. 000 km de humanos [es.euronews.com]
Los pingüinos aceleran el deshielo en la Antártida [efeverde.com]
La mayor colonia de pingüinos del mundo pierde más de medio millón de ejemplares [kvia.com]
La mayor colonia de pingüinos del mundo pierde más de medio millón de ejemplares [kesq.com]
Klimaatverandering oorzaak van snelle teruggang stormbandpinguïn op Brits eiland [nos.nl]