Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Beginning its annual breeding cycle, over 1,000 rockhopper penguins arrived at Isla Pingüino, in front of the coastal area of Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz province, local sources reported yesterday.
As is the norm, the first penguins to arrive at the island (where the only continental colony of this species resides) were the males, which began to build the nests with stones, sticks and feathers to receive the females in 15 days’ time and the juveniles a month later.
“In a few weeks, 1,200 females will arrive and by December we’ll have 800 juveniles. Thus, we will have a colony of about 4,000 rockhopper penguins, which tourists will be able to watch from a few metres distance,” Ricardo Pérez, a tourist guide, told state-run news agency Télam.
The penguin is distinguished by its yellow eyebrows and its ruby-red-coloured eyes. The rockhopper penguin is smaller than the Magellan penguin — the species most commonly seen on the shores of Argentina.
The coast of Puerto Deseado is popularly known for enabling visitors to spot numerous sea species.
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