Satellite Images Show Raft Of New Emperor Penguin Breeding Sites In Antarctica

Researchers have spotted 11 new emperor penguin breeding sites in Antarctica, increasing the number of known colonies of the endangered birds by an estimated 20%.

The European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite captured high-resolution images of the colonies. Most of the new colonies located within the margins of the species’ breeding range, while a couple of them were found offshore, on sea ice that formed around grounded icebergs, a location they were never seen before.

A report published in the journal Remote Sensing In Ecology and Conservation said researchers suspected the existence of at least three breeding sites in the area, which the satellite images confirmed now. The new findings took the number of known active emperor penguin breeding sites from 50 to 61.

The discovery was made after large patches of sea-ice stained from the birds’ poop, known as guano, were spotted in the region. The new colonies are thought to comprise a few hundred penguins each, which is smaller than average. It increases the global population of emperor penguins by 5-10% to around 265,500-278,500 breeding pairs.

“The [new colonies] are an exciting discovery,” Peter Fretwell, a senior scientist at British Antarctic Survey, told The Guardian. “Whilst this is good news, the colonies are small and so only take the overall population count up to just over half a million penguins.”

Emperor penguins are solely reliant on sea-ice for breeding, which makes them vulnerable to the climate crisis.

“The new breeding sites are all in locations where recent model projections suggest emperor penguins will decline. These birds are therefore probably the canaries in the coalmine – we need to watch these sites carefully as climate change will affect this region,” Philip Trathan, head of conservation biology at BAS, told the publication.

Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species. They breed in harshest winter conditions, with the male incubating the eggs. The birds can weigh up to 88 pounds and have a lifespan of around 20 years. The emperor groups like to keep at least 63 miles gap between colonies and the newly found sites also maintain this, according to the BBC.