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Humboldt Penguin

File:Spheniscus_humboldti_(54905367722).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Humboldt Penguin

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Also known as Spheniscus humboldti, Humboldt's penguin

species of bird

OverviewAI-generated

The Humboldt penguin (*Spheniscus humboldti*) is a species of bird in the family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes, class Aves, and phylum Chordata. The taxon name was established by Meyen in 1834, and the species is named after Alexander von Humboldt. It belongs to the genus *Spheniscus* and is classified as diurnal.

This marine species is found in South America, with a specific reference to Chile Central. The Humboldt penguin is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a status assessed in 2020. It is also included in Appendix I of CITES. Common names for the organism include Pingüino de Humboldt, Humboldtpinguin, and Manchot de Humboldt.

Synthesized by Vinony from 25 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, WoRMS, IUCN Red List, Encyclopedia of Life, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Vulnerable

Humboldt penguin

Species

  1. PhylumChordata
  2. ClassAves
  3. OrderSphenisciformes
  4. FamilySpheniscidae
Habitatmarine

Chile Central

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Spheniscus
Image
Spheniscus humboldti (54905367722).jpg
Show 9 more facts
taxon rank
species
IUCN conservation status
Vulnerable
taxon name
Spheniscus humboldti
Commons category
Spheniscus humboldti
Commons gallery
Spheniscus humboldti
CITES Appendix
Appendix I of CITES
diel cycle
diurnality
taxon range
South America
taxon common name
Humbold pengueni
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~18 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Nazca Penguin effigy vessel, 350–500 CE, said to represent a Humboldt penguin by the Art Institute of Chicago The Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) is a medium-sized penguin. It resides in South America, along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African penguin, the Magellanic penguin and the Galápagos penguin. The Humboldt penguin and the cold water current it swims in are both named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt. The species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN with no population recovery plan in place. The current wild population is composed of roughly 23,800 mature individuals and is declining. It is a migrant species.

Humboldt penguins nest on islands and rocky coasts, burrowing holes in guano and sometimes using scrapes or caves. In South America the Humboldt penguin is found only along the Pacific coast, and the range of the Humboldt penguin overlaps that of the Magellanic penguin on the central Chilean coast. It is vagrant in Ecuador and Colombia. The Humboldt penguin has been known to live in mixed species colonies with the Magellanic penguin in at least two different locations at the south of Chile.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Humboldt Penguin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (13)