Ultimate journey: Penguins have to migrate 3,500 km from Argentina
Scientists have found that Magellanic penguins from Argentina’s Cabo Virgenes can travel up to 3,500 kilometres during seasonal migration, while some birds remain near the colony throughout the year. The study was conducted at the Cabo Virgenes Nature Reserve in Santa Cruz province, home to around 120,000 breeding pairs of the species, TV BRICS reports.
According to El Maipo, rsearchers fitted GPS devices to eight penguins during the 2025 breeding season to track their movements and feeding areas. The tracking showed that some penguins travel north to areas including the coast of Uruguay and the Rio de la Plata, covering between 2,500 and 3,500 kilometres. These birds can remain at sea for up to six months without returning to land. Other penguins stay within several hundred kilometres of the colony and make regular feeding trips while raising their chicks.
Researchers also identified differences between males and females. Females are more likely to remain in coastal areas, while males generally travel farther from the coast and move north along the continental shelf. During the breeding season, penguins can travel up to 70 kilometres from their nesting sites in search of food and return to the colony to feed their chicks.
The study also found that the penguins made longer feeding trips in 2025 than previously recorded. Some journeys lasted around a day and a half, with individual birds travelling up to 350 kilometres while searching for sardines and other food. The combined core area used during the eight recorded feeding trips covered 5,543 square kilometres.
The research is helping scientists identify marine areas that are important for the species and improve understanding of how penguins use the waters around Cabo Virgenes. The reserve is the southernmost continental colony of Magellanic penguins in the world and one of the largest colonies of the species.
The researchers plan to repeat the study methods and conduct a new population census at Cabo Virgenes in October. In December, GPS devices will be installed again to expand knowledge of the penguins’ feeding range and support further research into marine areas important for the colony.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the world’s largest penguin colony had lost half a million birds.