Reproduction

Breeding activity is noted year round with a peak from May to January.

Pairs are considered monogamous and come together each year to mate. Both parents assist with raising the eggs. To reinforce their bond they will tap bills and preen one another.

Females lay up to 2 eggs which are incubated for 38 to 42 days. These eggs are deposited in to a deep rock crevice which helps to keep them cool. Both parents share the incubation duties. While one is incubating the other will go out to sea and forage.

At hatching the chicks are covered by dark-brown down feathers. Fledging occurs between eight and nine weeks old.

Sexual maturity is reached between 3 and 8 years old. Males tend to mature later than females.

When conditions are good they may raise as many as 3 clutches in a year.

Behavior

Throughout the year a Galapagos penguin will undergo two molts. During this time they lose all their feathers and grow new ones. This process takes 13 days.

When they become warm the Galapagos penguin will spread their flippers and lift their feet to increase surface area for heat loss. They may also flap the wings to help reduce heat.

They tend to spend the day at sea fishing and then come to land at night which provides some level of safety for these flightless birds.

When swimming the Galapagos penguin will reach speeds of up to 35kmh (21.8mph).

Galapagos penguins vocalize using a loud, honking bray.

Predators and Threats

Natural predators of the Galapagos penguin include snakes, owls and hawks on land along with sharks, fur seals and sea lions at sea.

Introduced predators such as rats, dogs and cats affect their population. Cats can also transmit parasites. The threat these pose is as yet unknown.

Galapagos penguins face a wide variety of threats. These include lack of available prey through environmental conditions and overfishing.

Contamination from oil spills will affect them. Plastic pollution is also an increasing threat to their survival.

These penguins are also susceptible to infectious diseases such as avian malaria and West Nile virus.

All 18 species of penguin on Earth are afforded legal protection from hunting or egg collecting.

They are highly susceptible to environmental conditions. A strong El Nino event in 1982 is estimated to have caused 77% of the population to die through starvation. These events warm the waters around their habitat.

Less than 2,000 Galapagos penguins are thought to remain though their population is beginning to recover.

Quick facts

The Galapagos penguin is the only one of the 18 penguin species found North of the equator.

They are the third smallest of the world's penguin species.