[REVISION HISTORY]
Zavodovski Island penguin population decline
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2026-10-10 04:00 UTC → 2026-10-10 05:00 UTC ·
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The chinstrap penguin population on Zavodovski Island in the South Sandwich Islands has undergone a massive decline, losing its status as the world’s largest colony. Research from the British Antarctic Survey indicates that the number of occupied nests fell by 63% between 2011 and 2025, a loss of over half a million birds. Scientists describe the situation as “an enormous population crash,” noting that the island is experiencing the fastest-declining chinstrap population globally, with annual losses of approximately 7%. This rate is two to three times higher than those observed in other regions. As a result, the title of the world’s largest colony has passed to the Adélie penguin colony at Cape Adare in the Ross Sea. Climate change and ocean warming are identified as the primary drivers, as drivers. A study published in Current Biology, led by ecologist Norman Ratcliffe, attributes the reduction to warming waters cause ocean temperatures causing Antarctic krill—the penguins' main primary food source—to migrate south. toward more southern, colder waters. While the penguins prefer foraging in cooler waters to the northwest of the island, the shifting krill distribution has disrupted their food supply. While a 2016 volcanic eruption on the island was investigated, researchers determined the decline began before in 2011, prior to the event. Additionally, a biological feedback loop has been identified where penguin guano fertilizes algae that darkens snow surfaces, potentially accelerating Antarctic ice melt.
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- 2026-10-10 05:00 UTC Zavodovski Island penguin population decline
- 2026-10-10 04:00 UTC Zavodovski Island penguin population decline
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