2 Types of Penguins found in Uruguay! (2025)
What are the different kinds of penguins in Uruguay?
It’s easy to see why people are fascinated with penguins. Besides their adorable looks, these birds are unlike any other in the world!
They’re flightless birds that love to swim, they stand upright instead of hunched over, and almost all of them live in the southern hemisphere.
Keep reading to learn about EVERY type of penguin that lives on the planet, including photos and range maps!
THE 2 PENGUIN species in Uruguay:
#1. Magellanic Penguin
- Spheniscus magellanicus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are 61–76 cm (24–30 in) tall and weigh 2.7 and 6.5 kg (6.0-14.3 lb).
- In males, the coloring is black on the back, with a white abdomen and two black bands between the head and the breast. Females and young have a similar pattern in more muted grays.
- These penguins have rigid, flipper-like wings used to swim underwater.
This species is one of the most recognizable penguins in Uruguay!
With their bold black and white markings, distinctive bills, and reddish skin around the eyes, you won’t have any trouble spotting this penguin along the coasts of South America!
Magellanic Penguins are found in coastal South America from Brazil to Chile and on the Falkland Islands.
These amazing birds are a social species known to travel in large groups while hunting for food. Magellanic Penguins routinely dive to depths of 20-50 m (66-164 ft), where they find their prey. They mostly feed on squid, krill, cuttlefish, and other crustaceans.
When the breeding season comes, Magellanic Penguins group in large nesting colonies along southern coasts. They lay eggs in warm places where the temperature is over 20 °c (68 °f). As is typical with most penguins, the male and the female parents take turns leaving the nest to feed.
Magellanic Penguins face threats like oil spills, predators, and climate change. But luckily, at the moment, these penguins are plentiful and are considered a species of Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Estimated Global Population: 1.5 million breeding pairs
#2. Macaroni Penguin
- Eudyptes chrysolophus
Identifying Characteristics:
- Adults are about 70 cm (28 in) long and weigh around 5.5 kg (12 lb).
- Their coloring is black above and on the face with a sharp line that distinguishes the white underparts and belly.
- They have prominent yellow or orange crests above the eyes, and their legs and feet are pink.
The Macaroni Penguin is one of the six species of crested penguins in the world. Their colonies are some of the largest, with around 100,000 individuals in some of them. Despite these numbers, there has been a decline in their population, so their current conservation status is classified as vulnerable.
Macaroni Penguins inhabit the Southern Ocean and have breeding colonies in South America, the Antarctic Peninsula, and various islands.
The diet of the Macaroni Penguin mainly consists of crustaceans like krill, small fish, and cephalopods. They eat more marine life per year than any other seabird! Unfortunately, they have numerous predators in the water, including the leopard seal, orcas, and giant petrels.
- Estimated Global Population: 18 million individuals
Do you want to know more about penguins in Uruguay?
Which type of penguin in Uruguay is your favorite?
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