Welcome to the Penguin Project
The Penguin Project, started in 1982, is sponsored by the University of Washington, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the province of Chubut, Argentina, and many friends of the penguins.
An adult Magellanic penguin brays as he returns to his nest.
If we could, we would bray like penguins to announce the publication of Penguins: Natural History and Conservation!
Penguin News:
Project Updates: If you would like to learn more about what is currently happening with the Penguin Project, send us an e-mail and ask to be added to our list to receive updates about the project.
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May 24, 2013 Listen to Dee's interview with Savvy Central Radio at 10 am Pacific Time on Monday, May 27. The interview will be available on their website after it airs. |
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May 22, 2013 A recent study used biomechanical models and direct measurements of murres and cormorants to show the energetic costs of being able to fly and swim. Murres and cormorants spend more energy to fly than other seabirds AND more energy to dive than penguins. Given their wing shape and size, penguins are best as swimmers, not fliers. |
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May 15, 2013 On Thursday, May 16, Dee and Popi will give a short presentation and sign books at Village Books in Bellingham, Washington. They will share the latest in penguin science and conservation and answer your penguin questions. Additionally, copies of their book, Penguins: Natural History and Conservation will be available for purchase. Hope you can make it! |
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May 14, 2013 Join us at Town Hall for Dee and Popi's presentation, Penguins in Peril. They will share their knowledge and stories about penguins. Tickets and location information are available at the Town Hall website. Additionally, copies of their book, Penguins: Natural History and Conservation will be available for purchase. Hope to see you there! |
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April 25, 2013 For more information about what you can do to help penguins, watch an interview with Dee Boersma and Popi Garcia Borboroglu. |
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April 18, 2013 World Penguin Day falls on April 25 every year. Here are a few ways you can celebrate with us: April 24 at 7:00 pm: Join Dee at Environmental Issues Slam at the Seattle REI. Six people will give short presentations and the crowd will vote on the best presentation. The best presenter receives a grant for their environmental issue. Hosted by the Washington Foundation for the Environment. April 25 at 11:00 am EDT: As part of the Pew Environmental Group's World Penguin Day activities, Dee and Popi will be answering questions on a Twitter live chat. View the chat on the Pew Environment's Twitter feed or send in a question of your own via Twitter, using the hashtag #PenguinChat or #PenguinDay. |
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April 16, 2013 We are very excited to announce the release of Penguins: Natural History and Conservation! The book was edited by Dr. Dee Boersma and Dr. Pablo Garcia Borboroglu and written by penguin experts around the world. More information about the book is available at the University of Washington Press, including a trailer for the book. There will be several events held in conjunction with the book's publication: May 14, 2013-Penguins in Peril, 7:30 at Seattle Town Hall
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March 25, 2013 Hundreds of unregulated fishing vessels are taking an estimated 300,000 tons of ilex squid out of the South Atlantic every year, according to a recent news article. Magellanic penguins feed on squid, which we sometimes see evidence of at Punta Tombo, as well as other prey. |
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February 26, 2013 Once again, the Penguin Project will be a part of the Pacific Science Center's Polar Science Weekend from Feb. 28-Mar. 3. We can show you how to weigh and measure a penguin or answer any of your questions about penguins. More information is available at the Polar Science Weekend website. |
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February 22, 2013 Dee always says that penguins have a lot to teach us, but this is the first time she has been consulted for advice on why we should walk like penguins. Listen to NPR's podcast, How to Do Everything to hear her explain how walking like a penguin can help you keep from slipping on ice. |
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January 25, 2013 The Daily Chronicle, a newspaper from Chubut, Argentina published an article about a recent meeting between the governor of Chubut, the Global Penguin Society, and Disney's Club Penguin. The meeting was about conservation and environmental education efforts at Punta Tombo. We're excited about the momentum that is building in Argentina around these topics! |
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January 17, 2013 Want a sneak peak at our new book? Check out the video trailer! |
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December 28, 2012 The Smithsonian Magazine's May 2012 issue included a great article about African penguins. Dee is quoted on page 3. |
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November 28, 2012 Vote for your favorite Disney Amigos por el Mundo Project --- Proteger a los pingüinos!
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November 27, 2012 Edited by Dee and her grandstudent Pablo, Penguins details the life history, distribution, population sizes and trends, endangered status, threats to survival and legal protection for each species of penguins.
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November 26, 2012 Dee visited Lauren DuBois at Sea World San Diego on November 26th to give a talk on "Penguins as Conservation Ambassadors" and got to meet one of Lauren's favorite Magellanic penguins. When a little boy got to touch this female Magellanic penguin he cried out in glee "I touched a penguin".
Learn more about Sea World San Diego's Penguin Encounter. HERE! |
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November 21, 2012 Dr. Dee Boersma and other National Geographic explorers kicked off their Thanksgiving celebrations by sharing some of the things they are grateful for. From chirping monkeys to the essential local burritto truck, National Geographic explorers continue to remind us to cherish the earth and celebrate the world around us. “I’m grateful that there are penguins in the world and that more and more people care what happens to penguins. By leaving more forage fish in the water for penguins, penguins will eat better and the oceans that we all depend on will be healthier.”—Dee Boersma |
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November 18, 2012 Dr. Dee Boersma and Dr. Popi Borboroglu tell the tale of a pair of Magellanic penguins that have remained faithful to each other for 16 years despite spending long periods apart and each of them taking solo trips totalling 200,000 miles. Yet each year they have returned to the same nest, and each other, to produce a new brood of chicks. Now they have grown old together - the penguin’s natural lifespan means they normally die around 20 years after they start breeding. Read more. |
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November 15, 2012 37 oiled penguins were taken into rehabilitation from the beaches of Mar del Plata. Read more. |
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November 14, 2012 Penguins are back at Punta Tombo, Argentina and so are we. This is our 30th year intensively studying the penguins of Punta Tombo. Check out our latest update to learn more about what research we have been up to. |
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September 5, 2012 Dr. Boersma is one of the authors on a recently-published paper that details how forage fish may be more economically valuable if left in the ocean to feed other fish, rather than being fished themselves. Take-home message: forage fish are really important for supporting the rest of the ocean ecosystem. |
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August 28, 2012 If you're looking for a small way to help the Penguin Project, check out our project page on the crowdfunding site, Microryza. Don't miss our answers to life-long penguin questions, such as "why can't penguins fly?" |
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August 23, 2012 The Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa recently released the first national draft management plan intended to address the conservation of Africa penguins. The Department's media release describes the threats African penguins are facing and asks for public comment on the plan. |
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August 20, 2012 A collaborative effort by scientists and conservation organizations has developed the Ocean Health Index. Explore the Index by country, topic, or within one of the 10 defined goals, which relate to how we use the world's oceans. How was the Index developed? Check out the Methods section. |
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July 9, 2012 Penguin Project scientist Ginger Rebstock will be speaking at the Aquarium of the Pacific on July 19, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Long Beach, California. Her talk is titled: Magellanic Penguins: Wildlife Spectacles and Long-term Studies. Put it on your calendar! UPDATE: Her talk will not be live-streamed, but she will be interviewed for a podcast, the link to which will be posted here when it is available. |
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July 2, 2012 This month's National Geographic Kids Awesome Animals Special Edition includes Magellanic penguins. We told the Nat. Geo. reporter about how Magellanic chicks practice their swimming skills on land by flapping their flippers and chasing bugs.
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June 25, 2012 Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise, died this weekend. He was the only surviving member of a subspecies of tortoise (Chelonoidis abingdoni) in the Galapagos Islands. With his passing, we renew our efforts towards conservation of all species. Photo Credit: Bill Conway, 2006 |
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June 21, 2012 The Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town in South Africa is currently tracking three fledglings as they leave the colony and travel north. The researchers are posting frequent updates on their website. Safe travels, penguins! |
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June 8, 2012 Dee will be speaking at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California tonight, June 8th. The talk will be streamed on the Aquarium's website from 7:00-8:30 pm. Dee will also be interviewed for a podcast, which will be posted soon. |
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May 23, 2012 Live in southern California? Dee will be speaking at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Friday, June 8, 2012. Event information is available here. If you can't be at the talk in person, the Aquarium will be live-streaming the lecture on their website. The link for the live stream will be posted on our website when it is available. |
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April 4, 2012 For more information about the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force, check out the video that outlines their recommendations. |
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April 2, 2012 This week, the Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force released its report "Little Fish, Big Impact" about the impact that the world's fisheries have on forage fish. Dr. Boersma, a member of the task force, is quoted in the Washington Post and elsewhere regarding the importance of forage fish to penguins. The take-away message: forage fish are more valuable, to fisheries and ecosystems, when left in the ocean. |
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March 29, 2012 We've been asked to share our penguin knowledge in a couple places recently. National Geographic compiled an Explorer's Bio for Dee. Additionally, we've written a species profile for the Duke University's Marine Megafauna digital textbook. The textbook app is currently only available on an iPad, but you can see pieces of the profile on their facebook page. |
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March 1, 2012 This weekend, researchers from the Penguin Project will be at the Pacific Science Center's Polar Science Weekend. Olivia Kane staffed the booth today and reports that the visitors loved learning about penguins. If you live in Seattle, stop by to say hi and learn about penguins!
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February 17, 2012 The University of Washington's College of Arts and Sciences recently released a new documentary Timeless Discoveries which highlights the research and discoveries of the College, including the work of the Penguin Project. The penguin segment, as well as the full video can be viewed here. The segment will soon be posted on our website as well! |
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February 7, 2012 Almost a year after a ship ran aground and spilled oil and soy beans near the islands that are home to 65% of the world's rockhopper penguins, initial survey results suggest the impacts of the oil spill are not as bad as anticipated. Counts from this breeding season show that the breeding population didn't suffer as much as anticipated, but further surveys are needed to determine long-terms effects of the spill.
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January 18, 2012 After an Antarctic cruise spotted an oddly-colored chinstrap penguin in the South Shetland Islands, National Geographic Daily News asked Dr. Boersma for her expert opinion on the bird's condition. Likely, the bird has isabellinism. This condition dilutes the pigmentation in the bird's feathers.
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December 20, 2011 The Global Penguin Society will be one of the beneficiaries of Disney's Club Penguin annual Coins for Change event. On the Club Penguin website, kids can give tokens to a cause of their choice. The virtual donations will help determine how a real-world donation is shared.
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November 28, 2011 Dee's interview will air on BirdNote on Wednesday, November 30th. Listen to learn more about how she helped bring about changes to reduce threat of oil pollution to the penguins. The interview is available at NPR's BirdNote.
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November 3, 2011 The Pew Environment Group draws attention to krill, a small crustacean on which many animals of the Southern Ocean feed, and asks CCAMLR delegates to support monitoring and regulation of krill harvests.
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October 31, 2011 ESRI, a GIS software company whose products were used to compile maps for the Atlas of the Patagonian Sea, has an article about the Atlas, a project of the Wildlife Conservation Society and Birdlife International. Dr. Boersma's satellite data on Magellanic penguins are included in the atlas. More about the atlas can be found here.
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October 6, 2011 Courtney, Jeff, and Laura visited four high school classes in Madryn, Argentina. They described their work with penguins, showed them the equipment and technology we use, and answered many questions. The major newspaper in the province of Chubut, Argentina wrote an article about the visit. The students said the visit was "enjoyable and constructive."
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October 4, 2011 The Lenfest Ocean Program is a grantmaking program that serves to support research regarding the world's oceans and communicate research results to decision makers and other interested audiences. Some of Professor Boersma's work is included on the site, as well as many papers on penguins.
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September 23, 2011 Working with penguins at the Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago, researchers have found that Humboldt penguins may be able to differentiate between the smell of birds they are and are not familiar with, as well as relatives and nonrelatives. For more information, see the article at ScienceNews.
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July 28, 2011 Prof. Boersma is one of the 24 new members elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences in recognition of their distinguished and continuing scientific achievements. The Washington State Academy of Sciences provides expert scientific and engineering analysis to inform public policy-making, and works to increase the role and visibility of science in the State of Washington. Congratulations to Dee! More information on the academy and the official press release here. |
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July 18, 2011 The Animal Demography Unit of the University of Cape Town is tracking a penguin named Lucy. Follow along! |
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June 30, 2011 An article in Treehuggerexamines the alarming numbers and occasions of penguins washing ashore covered in oil. |
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