Chinstrap penguin

Breeding takes place in large colonies made up of several hundred thousand individuals on islands in the southern hemisphere that have no snow or ice. The chinstrap penguin breeds between late October and early March, a period that corresponds to austral spring and summer.

This penguin builds a very rudimentary nest, made up of small stones and bones arranged in a circle. In the colony, nests are so close together that there is in fact no space between one and the other. The nest diameter is about 60 centimeters, just about the right size so the birds can peck their neighbors.

Couples meet and mate in November or December. Two weeks later the female lays a pair of white eggs. The male and female take turns incubating these eggs, for a period of between 31 and 40 days (an average of 37).

The young remain in the nest for 20 to 30 days before joining the other chicks in a crèche. A crèche is a gathering of several young under the responsibility of one or more adults, which are not necessarily their parents.

Chicks have fluffy grey down. They molt twice before developing their adult plumage, which will allow them to head off to sea alone to feed themselves at the age of 50 to 60 days.

The chinstrap penguin reaches sexual maturity when it’s between 3 and 5 years old. A couple’s relationship is solid. Even though the male and the female do not spend the winter together, they come back to the same nest year after year and once again become the couple of the year before. Moreover, the penguins are able to recognize the smallest modulations in the cry of their partners even after several months of separation.