The once-thriving Humboldt penguin colony at Punta San Juan on the coast of Peru faces a critical decline as a powerful Super El Niño strengthens in the region. Researchers recently found only four penguins remaining amid nearly 200 empty nests, a stark contrast to previous years when the area supported one of the largest breeding populations of the species.
Humboldt penguins, named after the nutrient-rich Humboldt Current that flows from Antarctica to South America, are adapted to fluctuating conditions influenced by El Niño events. These climate cycles bring warm water that disrupts the cold-water fish populations penguins depend on for food. This year’s predicted Super El Niño is expected to be more intense than recent events, compounding challenges for the penguins.
The colony’s sharp decline follows a series of setbacks. In 2022, an avian flu outbreak devastated thousands of birds, and the subsequent 2023 El Niño further reduced the population to a few hundred. Researchers began the 2024 breeding season with hope for about 200 active nests, but monitoring after the fall peak revealed widespread abandonment of eggs and nests by penguin parents. Normally, adult penguins alternate between guarding their offspring and foraging, but prolonged food shortages have compelled many to abandon their young entirely, sometimes relocating to areas with more abundant food.
Similar patterns have been observed across other Humboldt penguin habitats in Peru. Carlos Zavalaga, a seabird ecologist at the Universidad Científica del Sur in Lima, noted numerous nest abandonments this year and expects to see emaciated or deceased penguins along the coastline if conditions worsen. Historically, visible penguin carcasses on beaches have signaled particularly severe El Niño episodes.
Super El Niño events, including the last major one in 1997-98, have caused significant ecological damage worldwide. That event decimated roughly 80 percent of animal populations at Punta San Juan, including Humboldt penguins, cormorants, pelicans, and fur seals, disrupting the local ecosystem for several years. The severity of these events has prompted some scientists, such as biologist Patricia Majluf, to shift their focus toward broader conservation strategies beyond local efforts.
To support penguin recovery, conservationists advocate for expanding marine protected areas along Peru’s coast, restricting industrial fishing practices that deplete penguin prey species, and safeguarding breeding grounds from human disturbance, including sustainable management of guano harvesting, which penguins use to build nests. However, ongoing political instability and frequent changes in Peru’s government—now led by its tenth president in a decade—have complicated efforts to implement and maintain these conservation measures. The influence of fishing industry interests has further impeded regulatory progress, according to experts.
Despite current losses, Humboldt penguins retain behaviors that facilitate recovery, including their ability to dive deep for fish, migrate long distances, and attempt multiple breeding cycles within a year. Nevertheless, rebuilding the colony will require time, and researchers caution that effective conservation policies must be in place to improve long-term prospects.
“We have to wait for the animals to come back,” said Susana Cárdenas-Alayza, director of the conservation program at Punta San Juan. “Then we’ll start making more conservation actions.”