Humboldt Penguin

The Humboldt penguin is a South American penguin species found along the Pacific coasts of Peru and Chile, named for the cold Humboldt Current that carries nutrient-rich water and abundant fish through its range. It resembles its close relatives the Magellanic and African penguins, with a single black breast band and pink patches of bare skin around the base of its bill that help it shed excess heat in its comparatively warm, temperate habitat. It nests in burrows dug into thick guano deposits or in rocky crevices along the coast. Its numbers have fallen due to overfishing of anchovies and sardines, guano extraction, and periodic El Nino events that disrupt its food supply.