Breeding events of king penguin at the South Shetland Islands: Has it come to stay?

Abstract

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) have a circum-subantarctic range though recently, pairs breeding in Antarctica were reported. In a scenario of environmental variability as it is recorded in Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent islands, one ecological response registered in penguins was the shift in its distribution and breeding range probably due to the increment in the areas available to breed and/or feed. In the 2014?2015 season, the first king penguin chick was registered at Stranger Point (62° S. 25 de Mayo/King George Island), which remained alive until 5 months old. This record represents the southernmostbirth of this species and the fourth consecutive breeding attempts in this site. This provides further evidence of a possible consolidation of a new breeding site at South Shetland Islands and thus the southward expansion of thebio-geographic range. Moreover, it suggests that both terrestrial and marine environmental conditions were favourable for king penguins, at least until the beginning of the créche stage. Nevertheless, an increase in the number ofbreeding pairs is essential to ensure the survival of chicks and enable the colonization.