About Reserva Natural Penguino Rey 

Seeing King Penguins in Patagonia is amazing. This place both protects the penguins and conserves the natural environment, fauna and vegetation. Observing the penguins at a distance to reduce the negative human impact, they have carefully watched as the penguins reproduced and returned all year round. The reserve does not action take action within the colony but observe from a distance and protect their environment. 

What makes these King Penguins unusual 

King Penguins are found on islands in antarctic waters far away from the mainland. It is so unusual to find them here that they are the only King Penguin colony in South America. What makes these penguins all the more interesting is the size of their colony. King penguin colonies are usually in their thousands, some even more than 100,000. However this small community of penguins has stayed a steady 150.

King Penguin reproduction

Within the 150 penguin colony the group are separated. Those who are still courting separate themselves in a bid to find their mate. This group is the most lively. The squawking attributed to penguins is known as trumpeting. They are essentially screaming their name over and over again. 

The second group are the parents, both those with young penguins and those still incubating their egg. Parents with eggs take it turns to ‘sit’ on the egg, using a roll of skin on the belly to keep it warm. During this time the penguins reduce the rate of their metabolism in an effort to conserve energy as they can fast for up to 14 days. This the penguins alternate, when one is incubating the other is out at sea fishing. It can take between 50 to 60 days for a king penguin egg to hatch.

King Penguin infants

Once the baby penguin has hatched it takes 10 to 12 months for their feathers to become water proof. Until then they are completely reliant on their parents to feed them which they do by regurgitating food into the youths mouth.The babies fur is not yet water proof so they look fluffy, they also don’t have any colour yet. Infant penguins feathers are all dark and fluffy until they mature and shed their feathers. Once they do so, the penguin is able to fish for their food without any supervision. 

Hugo – the New Zealand imposter

Hugo who is a Ffiordland Crested Penguin native to New Zealand appeared one day several weeks ago with the returning penguins. It is unknown why he is here and so far away from home. It is possible he is waiting for his feathers to malt before making his long voyage home. Though he has been with the colony for a few weeks he is yet to go fishing for food but Ffiordland Crested Penguin are notoriously strong swimmers so he still has options. 

Hugo wasn’t at first accepted by the colony. Those who were still courting took a particular dislike to this little penguin and several fights broke out. Migrating towards the families, Hugo has been left in peace to do whatever he came there to do.

How to get to the King Penguins in Patagonia

If you are coming from the direction of the Bahia Azul crossing, follow the 257 route for 113km then take a right and almost immediate left turn to follow the Y-85 gravel road for an additional 15km. Click here for directions from seven cities within the lower Patagonia region. https://www.pinguinorey.com/en/plan-your-visit/#como-llegar