African Penguin (imm.) © Brian Basson

African penguin
Species
The African penguin, also known as the royal southern penguin and black-footed penguin is a species of penguin, confined to southern African waters. It is also widely known as the "jackass" penguin for its donkey-like bray, although several related species of South American penguins produce the same sound. Like all extant penguins it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. Adults weigh on average 2.2–3.5 kg and are 60–70 cm tall. It has distinctive pink patches of skin above the eyes and a black facial mask; the body upperparts are black and sharply delineated from the white underparts, which are spotted and marked with a black band. The pink gland above their eyes helps them to cope with changing temperatures. When the temperature gets hotter, the body of the African penguin sends more blood to these glands to be cooled by the air surrounding it. This then causes the gland to turn a darker shade of pink.
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These penguins are ENDANGERED due to competition with pelagic fisheries, pollution, predation and disturbance of breeding colonies. Their population has fallen by half since 2004; currently 26,000 pairs breed at islands and few coastal sites along the west and south coasts. Source: Sasol Birds of Southern Africa 4th Edition 2011.
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