Chinstrap penguin population drops 63% in 14 years

Zavodovski Island's chinstrap penguin colony collapsed from 1.09 million to 402,000 between 2011 and 2025, a 63% decline. Rising ocean temperatures are pushing Antarctic krill southward, starving chinstraps near their habitat. Macaroni penguins on the same island are thriving due to a more flexible diet, highlighting climate change's uneven ecological impact.