Southern rockhopper penguin

How it lives

Rockhoppers nest in dense colonies, often on rocky cliffs and slopes. In the Falklands, males arrive first in early October and females about a week later. Two eggs are laid in November, and chicks fledge by about February. Predators of eggs and chicks include skuas and caracaras, and sea lions take adults at sea. Wild birds live about 10 years on average, and the oldest recorded bird, in an aquarium, reached 29 years.

Where it goes

In the Falklands, rockhoppers come ashore to breed from about October to April. After breeding they head to sea, with a migration reported between about May and October. Falkland birds are reported to travel east of South America. While breeding, they forage within roughly 100 miles (160 km) of the colony.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Global: about 1 to 1.2 million breeding pairs on sub-Antarctic and temperate islands between 46 and 54 degrees south. Falkland Islands: about 320,000 pairs in 2010, around 36 percent of the world total, after severe declines since the 1930s. A starvation event in 1986, an algal bloom in 2002/03 and another starvation event in 2015 are all recorded, and numbers fell by 88,000 pairs between 2000 and 2005. Falklands Conservation says a 2010 census showed modest recovery, but the population is unlikely to return to the 1 million or more pairs estimated before the 1930s. About 70 percent of Falklands birds breed at three colonies: Steeple Jason, Beauchene Island and Grand Jason. The species has fallen by about one third over three decades. IUCN status: Vulnerable (2018).