Information on Magellan Penguins

The Magellan penguin is the most common species of penguins in South America. They breed on the southern shores of South America.

The photographs on this website were taken at the Seno Otway penguin colony about 40 kilometers north of Punta Areanus, Chile.

The drive to Seno Otway is a long, 40 kilometer trip on an isolated, dirt road. If it weren't were my son, who had made the excursion 18 months prior, it would have been hard to convince me that we were heading in the right direction to find the penguin colony. There was no evidence of the sea and the landscape was bare and dry. The only road signs (above photo) indicating we were on ther right road were just a few kilometers from the colony. The road to the right of the signs is the dirt road we traveled. As you can tell by the "traffic" were were not headed to a Disneyland tourist site.

Magellan penguins dig burrows into the ground for nesting and protection. After 6 months at sea, the Magellans return to their colony in September to breed and raise their young. The adults mate for life and they recognize each other by voice. They return to the same burrow year after year .Two babies are usually born 35 days after the eggs are laid.