Chinstrap Penguin
Pygoscelis antarcticus
Named for the thin black strap under its chin, like the strap on a helmet.
The chinstrap penguin is easy to name: a narrow band of black feathers runs from ear to ear just under its chin, like the strap on a helmet. It breeds mainly on the Antarctic Peninsula and islands in the South Atlantic, and feeds close to its colonies, mostly on krill.
On the conservation status
Listed as Least Concern, but that may not last. Numbers are falling at most sites on the Antarctic Peninsula, where changes in krill are thought to be to blame, and the IUCN says the species may need moving up a category if the declines continue.
- Weight
- 3.5–5.5 kg
- Lifespan
- 16–20 years
- Diet
- Mainly krill and fish
- Dive depth
- Usually under 40 m
- Eggs
- Two, 33–36 days to hatch
- Range
- Antarctic Peninsula and South Atlantic islands
The good stuff.
The strap
A narrow band of black feathers runs from ear to ear, just below the chin. That's the whole name.
Close to home
Chinstraps feed near their colonies, usually in water less than 40 m deep, and dive deeper during the day than at night.
Two eggs
They come back to their colonies in October and November and lay two eggs in late November. The chicks hatch after 33 to 36 days and leave at 7 to 8 weeks old.
A boom, then a slide
Chinstrap numbers shot up in the mid-1900s, possibly because people had killed so many fur seals and whales that there was more krill to go round. They peaked in the late 1970s and have fallen at many colonies since.
Living on volcanoes
Most chinstraps breed on the South Sandwich Islands, which are volcanic. Eruptions there in 2016, during the moulting season, may have killed large numbers.
Growing at the southern edge
In the Palmer Archipelago, at the southern end of their range, one population grew from about 2,000 birds in 1974 to about 10,000 in 2016.
Wait, really?
- ✦
The South Orkney Islands have about 927,000 more breeding pairs.
- ✦
Males are a little bigger than females.
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Small populations live as far away as the Balleny Islands and Heard Island.
What it sounds like
Loud, braying calls. A pair greet each other at the nest with their heads thrown back.
We haven't found a recording we're allowed to share yet, so for now this one is a description.
Where you might see one
The Antarctic Peninsula and the islands of the South Atlantic.
The trouble
- Less krill, as the climate changes the Southern Ocean
- Volcanic eruptions at their biggest colonies
One real thing
Chinstraps live on krill. Check whether supplements or pet food at home contain krill oil — there are alternatives.
More ways to help