Zavodovski Island:
According to research by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the number of breeding chinstrap penguins on the Zavodovski Island declined nearly 63% in 14 years.
- Zavodovski Island is an uninhabited volcanic island situated in the Traversay Islands subgroup of the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean.
- Zavodovski Island hosts the world’s largest known chinstrap penguin colony.
- The basaltic stratovolcano on the island, known as Mount Curry, has a large lava platform extending east from two parasitic cones on the side of the main edifice.
- The chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus ) is a species of penguin that inhabits a variety of islands and shores in the Southern Pacific and the Antarctic Oceans.
- Its name stems from the narrow black band under its head, which makes it appear as if it were wearing a black helmet, making it easy to identify.
- It is also known as Ringed penguin, Bearded penguin, and Stonecracker penguin, due to its loud, harsh call.
- They are highly social birds, gathering in large colonies, where they live and breed.
- It mainly feeds on Antarctic krill, tiny, shrimp-like creatures that live in the ocean and form an important part of the Antarctic food chain.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern
