Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Penguins

Gentoo penguins have been considered a rare beneficiary of climate change due to their population growth on the Antarctic Peninsula. Splitting the birds into four species brings to light regional threats and declines.

Gentoo Penguins Are Actually Four Different Species, Scientists Say, Revealing They’re Not Quite ‘Winners’ of Climate Change After All

A new study indicates that the adaptable birds evolved into distinct lineages as isolated populations shifted to match their environmental conditions over time. The work has implications for how conservationists assess threats to gentoos

Two Alpine ibexes butt heads, slamming their horns together in a powerful battle that can be heard from far away. They wandered up the slope together afterward.

See 15 Stunning Images That Won the German Society for Nature Photography’s Annual Contest

From a lunging frog to the majestic movements of penguins, the honored photographs capture the wonder of wildlife and beauty of natural landscapes

Scientists tracked the breeding behaviors of king penguins on Possession Island, part of the French-controlled Crozet archipelago.

King Penguins Seem to Be Benefiting From a Warming World. While That’s Good News for Now, It Could Spell Trouble for the Future

The birds are breeding earlier, and more of their chicks are surviving. But researchers fear this success may not last

The annual "catastrophic" molt of the emperor penguin makes the birds especially vulnerable to climate change.

Emperor Penguins’ Annual Molt Might Put Them in Peril. The Sea Ice They Rely on During This Vulnerable Period Is Disappearing

The birds’ already risky molting strategy—in which they shed and regrow all their feathers at once—is becoming even more hazardous due to climate change

A gentoo penguin peers up from its colony’s nesting grounds on Booth Island, in the Antarctic Peninsula. The species, an adaptable forager that can switch prey when krill are scarce, has expanded into parts of the Antarctic Peninsula that were once too icy to inhabit.

The Penguins That Thrive—and the Ones Left Behind—as Antarctica Warms

A new decade-long study tracked 37 penguin colonies and found that the birds are breeding earlier. The shift marks one way among many that climate change is transforming life at the bottom of the world

Southern rockhoppers fearlessly approach the camera at Murrell Farm in the Falklands. The birds’ features include their spiky crests, which resemble wild eyebrows.

Rockhopper Penguins’ Athleticism Makes Them the Daredevils of the Animal World. Will a Warming Climate Slow Them Down?

A visit to the Falkland Islands, where the fearless seabirds navigate the rugged topography with tenacious spunk, shows the new challenges they face

Magellanic penguins are easy prey for the large cats.

Pumas Are Snacking on Penguins in Argentina—and the Abundant Birds Are Changing the Prowling Cats’ Behavior

Mountain lions are adapting to their defenseless, predictable prey, which return to Patagonia seasonally to nest and breed, new research suggests

An artist's interpretation of what early penguins in New Zealand might have looked like

Early Penguins Had Long, Dagger-Like Beaks for Skewering Fish, New Zealand Fossils Reveal

Paleontologists describe four new species of extinct ancestral penguins that help shed light on how the iconic birds evolved after dinosaurs went extinct

A research team measured ammonia concentrations from a colony of 60,000 Adélie penguins.

Penguin Poop Helps Drive Cloud Formation Over Antarctica, According to a New Study

The ammonia from Adélie penguin guano reacts with sulfur-containing gases in the atmosphere to aid in forming clouds, which scientists say may be significant to regulating the climate

African penguins in captivity are living longer than their wild counterparts, prompting caretakers to reconsider their habitat as they age.

Aquarium Builds New ‘Assisted Living’ Retirement Retreat for Aging African Penguins to Live Out Their Golden Years

At the New England Aquarium, the geriatric birds can now enjoy a quieter, calmer setting with an emphasis on personalized care

An Antarctic skua, one of the birds hardest hit by avian flu in the region. 

Avian Flu Is Rapidly Spreading Across Antarctica

A new expedition offers insights on the deadly virus’ impact in the region

Scientists are investigating how Adélie penguin colonies along the coast of Antarctica’s Ross Sea have adapted over the last 6,000 years.

Scientists Uncover a Frozen History in 6,000 Years’ Worth of Penguin Poop, Revealing Past Ecology on Antarctica

Sediment samples from the Ross Sea coastline are revealing insights into how animals like elephant seals and Adélie penguins adapted to environmental changes long ago

The iceberg A23a, seen in the South Atlantic Ocean near South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in November 2024

The World’s Largest Iceberg Runs Aground, Potentially Averting a Collision With Penguin and Seal Breeding Areas

After months of floating, the “megaberg” known as A23a has finally come to a halt roughly 50 miles from South Georgia Island

The Punta Medanosa colony of Magellanic penguins on the coast of Argentina has nearly 8,000 breeding pairs. Other colonies number in the hundreds of thousands.

What Did Scientists Learn After Thousands of Penguins Were Slaughtered by Mountain Lions?

The thriving bird colonies likely grew over several decades because local shepherds had temporarily eliminated pumas

Penguins are attentive parents, with both males and females sharing the work. Here, displaying a common practice, each partner faces the other with a bowed head.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

See 15 Adorable Photos of Playful, Picture-Perfect Penguins

These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest show just why penguins have waddled into our hearts

A scorpionfish swims along an unnamed seamount on the Nazca Ridge in the Pacific Ocean.

The Ten Most Awe-Inspiring Ocean Moments of 2024

From animal journeys across oceans to the discovery of dozens of new species in the deep sea, these stories wowed us

Gus did not hesitate to belly flop into the ocean.

Gus, the Young Emperor Penguin Who Made a Surprise Appearance in Australia, Is Now Heading Home

Wildlife caretakers released the bird into the Southern Ocean after he’d put on some weight and regained his strength

The penguin was malnourished after swimming thousands of miles from Antarctica.

Surfer Spots an Emperor Penguin on a Beach in Australia, Thousands of Miles From Its Antarctic Home

It’s not clear how the juvenile male ended up so far north, but experts suggest he was motivated by his appetite

The beloved baby penguin Pesto is in his "awkward" phase, molting his downy feathers in favor of adult plumage.

See New Images of Pesto, Australia’s Enormous Baby Penguin, in His ‘Awkward Phase,’ Molting His Downy Feathers

The viral king penguin chick at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is beginning to lose his youthful down, a process that will give him his distinctive and waterproof adult plumage

After female penguins lay eggs, parents take turns warming the nest during the roughly 43-day incubation period.

How Scientists’ Tender Loving Care Could Save This Endangered Penguin Species

From fish smoothies to oral antibiotics, researchers are taking matters into their own hands in a radical effort to save New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguins

Page 1 of 5