Friday, January 24, 2014

Time for your Brazilian! Penguin looks like it needs waxing because it hasn't finished moulting

  • Photographer Sergei Kokinskiy spotted huge flock on South George Island
  • Younger King Penguins lose brown fur as they transform into adults
  • Remote spot near Falkland Islands can attract crowd of 200,000 penguins
By Shari Miller


Perhaps even penguins feel they need to get something off their chest - and this young chick from South George Island is no exception. Like many others in the huge colony spotted on the Bay of Isles, the penguin chick is only half-way through the moulting process, with thick patches of brown fur still visible on its body.

Photographer Sergei Kokinskiy traveled from his native Russia to the remote island near the Falkland Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean to capture these striking images of the flock, which can sometimes number 200,000.


Squaring up: This King Penguin from South George Island has a distinctive look while going through the moulting process

Fur coat: The younger chicks wait behind on the banks waiting for their parents to return with food


Waxing lyrical: The chicks, still sporting patches of brown fur, watch for their parents
The 46-year-old said: 'After many visits to Africa, Asia and South America, I fell in love with the harsh nature of the extreme north and south. 'I went to the Bay of Isles on South George Island, which is known for being the home of large breeding colonies of huge royal penguins. 'Penguins were laying eggs and raising their chicks on the island and, at times, there can be up to 200,000 penguins there. The shaggy, brown bird in one of the photographs - a king penguin chick - waits on the bank for its parents who go to the sea to get food. When they return, the parents seek out their young among the thousands of same brown penguins. Individual features of the penguins allows the fur to stay on parts of the body longer than others.'

The keen photographer from Tula, Russia, added: 'It's such an amazing sight. You can imagine what it feels like to be confronted by such a huge army.'

Feathered army: At times, 200,000 penguins can gather on Bay of Isles, South George Island
Feathered army: At times, 200,000 penguins can gather on Bay of Isles, South George Island

Hair today: This young chick still has quite a few feathers to loseRuffle the feathers: The brown fur will make way for more adult feathers


Fur today: This pair of penguins will soon look remarkably different

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