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An intrepid penguin hailing from New Zealand’s Snares Island has popped up in the Chilean city of Punta Arenas, more than 7500km away
The Snares penguin’s visit was described as “extremely unusual” by wildlife officials, who have since moved the bird to a remote location
An Otago University ecologist says the penguin would have been migrating west in search of food — before making it to South America
Chilean officials are stunned by an “extremely unusual” visit from an intrepid New Zealand penguin from an island more than 7500km away.
The Snares penguin turned up at Punta Arenas, the seaside capital of Chile’s southernmost region, Magallanes, on January 30.
Its surprise arrival quickly drew the attention of residents, who alerted Chile’s fisheries service Sernapesca and protected the stumpy, feathered tourist from roaming pets.
Sernapesca’s Ximena Gallardo told Santiago-based Radio Cooperativa that penguins weren’t an unusual sight in the remote and rugged region, which lies at the bottom of the South American continent and includes a slice of Antarctica claimed by Chile.
“However, the presence of this specimen is an extremely unusual event, and there have been no previous reports of sightings of this species in the region or in Chile.”
The penguin, described as in good condition, has since been relocated to an isolated part of the region.
The bird is among a population estimated at just 25,000 breeding pairs — it’s classified as vulnerable by conservation agencies — endemic to the subantarctic Snares Islands, about 100km southwest of Stewart Island/Rakiura.
Otago University ecologist and Tawaki Trust chairman Dr Thomas Mattern said it was unlikely the penguin had made its epic voyage from the island straight to the Chilean city and would have made a few stops along the way.
It also wasn’t the first time that New Zealand crested penguins, such as Snares penguins, had popped up on South American shores.
“We’ve actually had reports of Snares penguins turning up in the Falkland Islands, just around the corner,” Mattern said.
“But that this one was found in Punta Arenas, I find really interesting.”
It meant the bird would have left the open ocean and braved the Straits of Magellan — a wide and salty passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans spanning several hundred kilometres.
“It’s likely this bird just followed its nose and ended up well in the middle of the South American continent, which is quite cool.”
Mattern said that, in their winter migration, the species tended to head west toward the Indian Ocean.
“So, I’d suspect this guy was just travelling west. He had a hunch there might be more food, then all of a sudden he hit South America.”
Snares penguins are known to travel large distances in search of food. Photo / Jim Eagles
Crested penguins were well known for travelling long distances: the Fiordland penguin, or tawaki, has proven capable of covering up to 7000km in just eight weeks.
“The birds we see turn up in South America are primarily young birds: they’re between two and six or seven years old, they haven’t started breeding yet and aren’t tied to a nest, so they’ve got all the time in the world.”
It marks the latest penguin ocean odyssey to grab global headlines.
Jamie Morton is a specialist in science and environmental reporting. He joined the Herald in 2011 and writes about everything from conservation and climate change to natural hazards and new technology.
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