Chile will count every Humboldt penguin nest, now that the species is endangered
Nests will be counted colony by colony, using a method shared with Peru. Bird flu is the newest threat, and its impact isn't known yet.
Chile is going to count every Humboldt penguin nest along almost its entire coastline. The Ministry of the Environment has opened a tender, with 110 million pesos from the Environmental Protection Fund, for the first national census since 2017.
How it will work
- It will cover the coast from the Arica y Parinacota region to Los Lagos.
- Nests will be counted colony by colony, using a method shared with Peru agreed in 2026.
- Because the penguin is very sensitive to people, fieldwork must disturb it as little as possible.
- Foundations, NGOs, universities and research centres can apply until 15 December. The winning team will have up to 12 months.
A species in decline
The 2017 census counted about 5,067 pairs in 45 colonies. Since then, the species has moved from «Vulnerable» to «Endangered» on Chile’s list, partly because some colonies have dropped sharply. The new census will show which have grown and which have emptied.
Its threats
- Fishing, where they get caught.
- Loss of places to nest and feed.
- Introduced species such as rabbits, rats, cats and dogs.
- Unregulated tourism.
- Climate change and El Niño, which flood nests and cut food supplies.
- Bird flu, the newest threat, whose impact is not yet known.
The winning team will have to rank these threats at each colony and propose how to curb them.
Other penguins being studied with new techniques: emperor penguins tracked by radar in midwinter.
Sources and references
- ECOticias – Humboldt penguin census in Chile, in Spanish (09/11/2026)
- Chile's Ministry of the Environment – Tender terms, in Spanish
This is original editorial content based on the sources cited. Spotted a mistake? Let us know and we will fix it under our corrections policy.
