Facts About Chinstrap Penguins

Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarcticus) are the second most numerous species of penguin after the Macaroni with an estimated seven million pairs. Their populations are found mainly along the coastal region of the South Sandwich Isles, South Shetlands and the South Orkneys in vast concentrated colonies. They also have smaller breeding colonies south of New Zealand on the Balleny Islands.

Chinstrap penguins tobogganing -  Author: Liam Quinn from Canada-
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

Description

Their distinguishing feature is a narrow ring of black feathers running underneath the cheeks and chin, from ear to ear like a strap from which it takes its name. This strap distinguishes them from Gentoos and the Adelie penguin.
Chinstraps are smaller than Emperor, King and Gentoo penguins but bigger than Little Blue or Fairy penguins. They stand about 27 inches tall and weigh about nine pounds.

Behaviour

Chinstraps communicate vocally and by using rituals which are performed by gesturing, bowing, preening, calling, head and flipper waving. Aggression may be displayed by pointing, staring and charging.

Diet

The Chinstrap hunts for small fish, krill, and crustaceans. They hunt between the ice packs near the shorelines, though there have been sightings of Chinstraps in the open ocean.
Generally they feed close by their breeding colonies using pursuit diving to catch prey in the hours between midnight and noon. They dive to depths of about two hundred feet lasting less than one minute and use flippers to reach speed up to 20 miles and hour.

Mobility

Chinstraps are ungainly on land and will often clamber out of the sea and up inclines using all four limbs. They can also jump considerable distances to reach safe footholds and are known to lie on their stomachs using their flippers and feet to power along like a toboggan.

Breeding

Chinstraps will often prefer lofty sites for nesting that may become free of snow quicker providing a longer period of time to nurture their chicks. In November or December they build nests from stones on land where the female lays two eggs. They share the incubation duties until the eggs hatch in around seven or eight weeks.

Other penguin species give preference to the strongest chick but Chinstraps treat both chicks the same. Some experts think that this may be because of access to the sea being restricted by ice and denying adults the chance to hunt may affect the survival rate of chicks.

The main enemy of Chinstraps are the Leopard seal in the sea and Brown Skuas and Sheathbills on land.

References, Attributions and Further Reading

© September 28, 2009 zteve t evans

File:Chinstrap Penguins tobogganing (6020388906).jpg From Wikimedia Commons - Chinstrap penguins tobogganing -  Author:Liam Quinn from Canada - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

 British Antarctic Survey, Chinstrap penguin

Chinstrap Penguin From Wikipedia

BBC, Nature, Wildlife, Chinstrap penguin