New penguin species discovered on Kerguelen Islands

An international research team, led by scientists from Chile and the University of California, Berkeley, has identified a new species of gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis kerguelensis, on the remote Kerguelen Islands. This marks the first formally recognized new penguin species in over a century.

Published in Communications Biology, the study utilized whole-genome sequencing of 64 penguins from ten breeding colonies to distinguish the birds. While the new species is a “cryptic species”—meaning it appears visually similar to other gentoo penguins—it possesses distinct genetic markers, body sizes, and vocalizations.

The research further revealed that the gentoo group, previously considered a single species, actually comprises four genetically distinct species. This reclassification has significant implications for conservation, as Pygoscelis kerguelensis and two other newly defined species may be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming in subantarctic regions.