Humboldt penguins’ existential crisis

The Humboldt penguin population along the central coast of Chile is reported to be in danger of extinction due to a dramatic decline. The main threats are marine pollution, disturbance during nesting, and shifts in penguin food sources caused by avian influenza and the intensification of the El Niño phenomenon, which have reduced breeding rates to almost zero throughout northern Chile and resulted in the deaths of many penguins.