Where to see Penguins in April

[orwell-g]

hi,

 

I'll be in South America beginning of April 2014 (Puerto Madryn & Ushuaia Argentina, Punta Arenas & Puerto Montt Chile).

 

is there a good option to see Penguins?

All details I saw so far on the web indicate that the Penguins leave the area by mid of March.

[J-D]

The common species of penguin near Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia, and Punta Arenas is the Magellanic Penguin. We have seen them near all three of those ports during February 2010 and/or 2013.

 

At the latter two locations, this species reportedly finishes breeding, leaves the nesting beaches, and migrates north by March. The northward migration has been confirmed by placing satellite-linked radio transmitters on a small number of the penguins -- see http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-007-0770-5

 

You might have better luck at Puerto Madryn. Various internet sources suggest that some Magellanic Penguins remain at Punta Tombo (the large colony south of Puerto Madryn) until April, after which they migrate north. One study conducted there notes that at least a few penguins are at Punta Tombo as late as 10-15 April: http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/10.2307/1370280.pdf It might be worth corresponding with local tour operators in Puerto Madryn to learn whether enough penguins are likely to be present at the date of your visit to be worth an excursion to that colony.

 

I understand that some Magellanic Penguins (and also a few Humboldt Penguins) nest south of Puerto Montt on Chiloe Island. Whether any are likely to be found there in April, I do not know. Again, local tour operators might be able to provide information. If you are continuing north along the west coast of South America, you might have opportunities to see Humboldt Penguins at other sites north of Puerto Montt.

 

Some other species of penguins occur at least sporadically around the coast of southern South America. Also, with some effort, penguins can sometimes be sighted at sea from a cruise ship, particularly on near-calm days when they are somewhat more visible while at the surface. It would be worth watching for them (and other interesting seabirds) from the ship. Good luck...

 

John

Edited January 1, 2014 by J-D

[sahara1]

Thank you for the info. We were also wondering whether to pay lots of money and not see penguins.

Edited January 12, 2014 by sahara1

[peterscot]

There are penguins all year round on the Falkland Islands. King and Gentoo penguins. Gentoos are always there, as their colonies are on the land. King penguins breed there, especially at Volunteer Point.

 

Three other species of penguins breed on the Falklands, but are largely gone by April.