Banded penguins are the warm-water penguins, four closely related species that wear a black band across the chest and a white stripe curving around the face. They are medium-sized, 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) tall and 6-11 lbs (2.7-5 kg). The Magellanic penguin pictured has two chest bands; its relatives have one.
Because they live in warmer places than most penguins, banded penguins have patches of bare pink skin around the eyes and bill that flush with blood to shed heat. They also pant and hold their flippers out to cool down.
They are sometimes called jackass penguins for their loud, donkey-like braying.
The four species live on temperate coasts far from Antarctica: the Magellanic penguin in Argentina, Chile and the Falklands, the Humboldt penguin in Peru and Chile, the African penguin in South Africa and Namibia, and the Galapagos penguin, the only penguin found north of the equator.
They nest in burrows dug into sand or guano, under bushes or in rock crevices, which keeps eggs and chicks out of the sun.
Banded penguins eat small schooling fish such as anchovies, sardines and sprats, along with squid and krill. They hunt in cool, food-rich currents such as the Humboldt and Benguela, and may travel 30 miles (50 km) or more from the colony on a feeding trip.
They nest in colonies that can number hundreds of thousands of birds, such as the Magellanic colony at Punta Tombo in Argentina. Pairs return to the same burrow each year, lay two eggs and share incubation and feeding.
Outside the breeding season Magellanic penguins migrate north along the coast as far as Brazil, swimming thousands of miles. Banded penguins swim at about 5 mph (8 km/h) and can sprint faster when chasing fish.
The genus Spheniscus holds the Magellanic, Humboldt, African and Galapagos penguins. The IUCN lists the Magellanic penguin as Least Concern, the Humboldt penguin as Vulnerable, and the African and Galapagos penguins as Endangered.
Overfishing of anchovies and sardines, oil spills, guano mining that destroys burrowing ground, and El Nino events that empty the sea of food are the main threats. The African penguin has lost more than 95 percent of its numbers in a century.
