A global population assessment of the Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) - PubMed (original) (raw)

A global population assessment of the Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)

Noah Strycker et al. Sci Rep. 2020.

Abstract

Using satellite imagery, drone imagery, and ground counts, we have assembled the first comprehensive global population assessment of Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) at 3.42 (95th-percentile CI: [2.98, 4.00]) million breeding pairs across 375 extant colonies. Twenty-three previously known Chinstrap penguin colonies are found to be absent or extirpated. We identify five new colonies, and 21 additional colonies previously unreported and likely missed by previous surveys. Limited or imprecise historical data prohibit our assessment of population change at 35% of all Chinstrap penguin colonies. Of colonies for which a comparison can be made to historical counts in the 1980s, 45% have probably or certainly declined and 18% have probably or certainly increased. Several large colonies in the South Sandwich Islands, where conditions apparently remain favorable for Chinstrap penguins, cannot be assessed against a historical benchmark. Our population assessment provides a detailed baseline for quantifying future changes in Chinstrap penguin abundance, sheds new light on the environmental drivers of Chinstrap penguin population dynamics in Antarctica, and contributes to ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts at a time of climate change and concerns over declining krill abundance in the Southern Ocean.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Map of extant Chinstrap penguin colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby subantarctic islands. Figure created with ArcMap version 10.6.1 and Adobe Illustrator 2020 version 24.2.1.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Map of all extant Chinstrap penguin colonies by CCAMLR subarea. Figure created with ArcMap version 10.6.1 and Adobe Illustrator 2020 version 24.2.1.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Chinstrap penguin colonies for which a historic benchmark is available, with significant population changes since the 1980s. Figure created with ArcMap version 10.6.1 and Adobe Illustrator 2020 version 24.2.1.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. BirdLife International. Pygoscelis antarcticus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018:e.T22697761A132601557. 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697761A132601557.en (2018).
    1. Sander M, Balbao TC, Polito MJ, Costa ES, Carneiro APB. Recent decrease in Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) populations at two of Admiralty Bay’s islets on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Polar Biol. 2007;30:659–661. doi: 10.1007/s00300-007-0259-1. - DOI
    1. Naveen R, Lynch HJ, Forrest S, Mueller T, Polito M. First direct, site-wide penguin survey at Deception Island, Antarctica, suggests significant declines in breeding Chinstrap penguins. Polar Biol. 2012;35(12):1879–1888.
    1. Lynch HJ, et al. In stark contrast to widespread declines along the Scotia Arc, a survey of the South Sandwich Islands finds a robust seabird community. Polar Biol. 2016;39:1–11. doi: 10.1007/s00300-015-1886-6. - DOI
    1. Dunn M, et al. Population size and decadal trends of three penguin species nesting at Signy Island South Orkney Islands. PLoS ONE. 2016;11:e0164025. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164025. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources