Description of a mixed-species colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguin at Metalqui Island, Chiloe, southern Chile

L. Hiriart-Bertrand et al. 2010 Boletín Chileno de Ornitología 16(1): 42-47

        We describe the mixed-species colony of Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic (S. magellanicus) penguins at Metalqui Island in Chiloe, southern Chile. The colony was visited on 8 December 2008 and nests (mostly dirt burrows) were individually checked for contents. Our survey included nearly 24% of the island’s suitable nesting habitat for penguins and indicated a breeding population of 28 and 203 Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins pairs, respectively. Nests contained either adults alone or adults attending chicks (no nests with eggs were observed) suggesting that breeding season was advanced at that time. This represents a species ratio of 1:7, similar to what has been reported for the mixed colony at Puñihuil Islands, 35 km to the north of Metalqui. The present data extends the breeding range of the Humboldt penguin to the south and adds a third mixed-species colony of both penguin species along its overlapping range.