Foraging ranges in Southern Rockhopper Penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome) on Isla Noir, Chile

Abstract

The Southern Rockhopper Penguin, Eudyptes c. chrysocome, breeds on the Falkland/Malvina Islands, Isla Pingüino, and Ilsa de los Estados in the Atlantic Ocean and on Barnevelt, Terhalten, Buenaventura, Ildefonso, Noir and Deigo Ramirez islands around Cape Horn in the Pacific Ocean, South America.1‒3 The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Southern Rockhopper as Vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species.4 This South American population is estimated to consist of approximately 870,000 pairs of which the colonies on the outer island of Chile account for 46% of that total.5 Within this area, the 158,200 pairs on Isla Noir represent the largest concentration of Southern Rockhoppers along the Chilean coast.2,6 The IUCN notes declines in these population of 34% over the last thirty years that may be attributed to egg collection and other anthropogenic pressures have been recorded.7‒9 Hydrocarbon exploitation, interactions with fisheries, climate change, possible competition with increasing pinniped populations and newly developing aquaculture activities involving salmon are additional factors that may have or continue to place pressures on the Southern Rockhopper Penguin.4,10‒15 Mean survival rates in the Southern Rockhopper Penguins, in the Falkland Islands, were 84 to 96%.16