Magellanic Penguin

Magellanic penguin, (Spheniscus magellanicus), species of penguin (order Sphenisciformes) characterized by the presence of a broad crescent of white feathers that extends from just above each eye to the chin, a horseshoe-shaped band of black feathers that cuts across the white feathers on the chest and abdomen, and a small but noticeable region of pink flesh on the face. Adults are sometimes mistaken for African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), which display a small fleshy region over each eye, or Humboldt penguins (S. humboldti), whose fleshy region encompasses the base of the beak and both eyes. The geographic range of the Magellanic penguin is limited to the Falkland Islands and several nearshore islands along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of southern South America; however, some individuals have traveled as far as Peru, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and the Antarctic Peninsula. Magellanic penguins are named for Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan; however, Italian explorer Antonio Pigafetta, who traveled with Magellan during his attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 1520, is credited with sighting the species.