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Magellanic penguin
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A Magellanic penguin stands near a burrow on rocky ground, with many other penguins and burrows scattered across the landscape on an island in Patagonia, Chile.
Gloved hand holds a vial with penguin feces; two Magellanic penguins look on from the right, with emphasis marks on the sample.
Magellanic penguin colony Magellanic penguin nest
Experience a day in the life of a penguin researcher
Magellanic penguins Magellanic penguin Magellanic penguin, left (Spheniscus magellanicus), and king shag (Phalacrocorax albiventer), watercolour and pencil by Roger Tory Peterson, from his book Penguins (1979); Houghton Mifflin
Watch Magellanic penguins gathering to breed on Valdés Peninsula, Argentina
View elephant seals on Argentina's southern coast and Magellan penguins on the country's Valdes Peninsula
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pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae
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A Magellanic penguin stands near a burrow on rocky ground, with many other penguins and burrows scattered across the landscape on an island in Patagonia, Chile.
Magellanic penguin Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) standing near a burrow.

Magellanic penguin

bird
Also known as: Spheniscus magellanicus
Written by
John P. Rafferty
John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to...
John P. Rafferty
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Magellanic penguin, (Spheniscus magellanicus), species of penguin (order Sphenisciformes) characterized by the presence of a broad crescent of white feathers that extends from just above each eye to the chin, a horseshoe-shaped band of black feathers that cuts across the white feathers on the chest and abdomen, and a small but noticeable region of pink flesh on the face. Adults are sometimes mistaken for African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), which display a small fleshy region over...

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