African Penguin

Spheniscus demersus (Linnaeus, 1758)

≈80 cmLength98 cmWingspan3.1 kgWeight

The adult has a single black horseshoe-shaped breast band and calls like a donkey.

Busiest months: September–November · Most records: South Africa, Namibia, St. Helena

Critically Endangered

How to identify

Field marks

Adult has a black horseshoe-shaped breast band
Pink bare skin above the eyes
Adult has a black face and a broad white band between the face and neck
Adult has a black back and black outer surfaces of the wings

Male, female and young

Sexes similar in appearance; male usually larger, with a longer bill.

Voice

Courtship calls resemble a donkey's bray.

Where and when it's recorded

African Penguin has been recorded at 14 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Boulders BeachSouth Africa2,487 records
Stony Point – Penguin ColonySouth Africa1,606 records
Table Mt. NP – Cape of Good HopeSouth Africa78 records

More places

Table Mt. NP – Cape Point SectionSouth Africa42 records
West Coast NPSouth Africa25 records
Macassar Sewage WorksSouth Africa7 records
Walvis Bay – Lagoon PromenadeNamibia6 records
Walvis Bay Salt PansNamibia6 records
De Hoop Nature ReserveSouth Africa4 records
Rooi-ElsSouth Africa3 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South Africa Namibia St. Helena

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The African penguin (Spheniscus demersus), also known as the Cape penguin or the South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. It is the only penguin found in the Old World. Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat.

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