I’ve always been fascinated by penguins. Those tuxedo-clad birds waddling around on beaches, diving through the ocean like little torpedoes – they’re just so cool! But lately, I’ve been hearing some interesting things about penguins in South Africa.
Apparently, they’re ditching their natural burrows and moving into some less conventional accommodations…..and liking it!
Researchers have been studying the breeding success of African penguins at eight of the largest colonies in South Africa over a period of 12 years. Why? The population has experienced a dramatic decline, plummeting from over a million breeding pairs a century ago to a mere 10,000 pairs today. This represents a 95% decrease, placing the species in a critically endangered state. The primary factors contributing to this decline of course include overfishing of their primary prey, sardines and anchovies, and habitat loss due to human development and pollution. These threats have resulted in a rapid population decline, with the current annual rate estimated at 8%.
Guano
Let’s look at Dyer Island as an example of why there has been such a decline in these ‘jackass’ penguins – so called because their call is loud and ‘donkey-like!’. Guano – a mix of eggshell, feathers, bird excrement and decaying wildlife – was extensively mined from this island in the 19th and early 20th centuries, where it was scraped from the penguin breeding grounds. The penguins would build their nest by burrowing into the thick layers of guano, which provided well protected, temperature-controlled nesting grounds. With this gone, their nests were exposed to the harsh African heat, flooding and their chicks now an easy meal for predators. In 1948 the tanker Esso Wheeling sank and the oil spill killed thousands of penguins from Dyer Island, with another oil spill in 1971 similarly affecting the remaining colonies. Along with increased fishing of their favoured prey, it’s no wonder the population declined rapidly.
Penguins from Dyer Island moved to False Bay in 1982 where two breeding pairs started a colony. At the time, False Bay was closed to commercial fishing – good news for the penguins – providing an abundance of food! Many have settled now on Boulders Bay beach where the penguins typically nest in burrows dug into the sandy dunes. Now the colony is up to about 3,000.
Without significant conservation efforts, the South African penguin faces the imminent threat of extinction which is where humans have taken a pro-active role in creating artificial homes for nesting.
The Penthouse
From newly designed, slanted roof, ceramic nests with air gaps that improve insulation and help regulate temperature – really important in places like Bird Island nature reserve off the coast of Lambert’s Bay – to the oldest designed A-frame pine plywood nests, the study has shown an increased breeding success of 16.5%!
Interestingly each of the four different styles of artificial nests designed have strengths and weaknesses and the researchers have discovered they have needed to understand what the issues are at each individual colony site.
So whether its increased heat or protection from predators that is needed to ensure increased egg to penguin success, will dictate which artificial nest is best. In summary, different designs of artificial nests are more effective in different colonies and no single style of artificial nest is the most effective.
Overall, in the study, artificial nests outperformed natural nests with a 16.5% increase baby penguins.
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Are Artificial Nests/Burrows the Future for Penguins?
It’s too early to say for sure. More research is needed to understand the long-term effects of using artificial homes for penguins though it is a promising conservation strategy for South African penguins. And of course, it is important to note that artificial homes are not a substitute for natural habitat. The best way to protect South African penguins is to address the root causes of their decline, such as climate change, erosion of their habitats and overfishing. But one thing is clear: these resourceful penguins are adapting to changing conditions. And if it means more penguin chicks surviving and thriving, then that’s a good thing in my book!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Here are some places to read about research on using artificial nests to help African penguins:
- The Dyer Island Conservation Trust’s website has information about their projects, including one that focuses on providing artificial nesting sites for penguins. The DICT has been manufacturing fiberglass burrows since 2005 to mimic the shape of natural penguin burrows.
- British Ecological Society journal, Ecological Solutions and Evidence A study published in this journal found that artificial nests can increase breeding output by 16.5%. The study monitored the breeding success of African penguins at eight of the largest colonies in South Africa for 12 years.
- The National Aviary has partnered with Dr. Patty McGill, a Senior Conservation Scientist, to create, test, and implement artificial nest burrows.
- The Conversation An article in The Conversation discusses how artificial nests can help African penguins breed, but they can also harbour higher ectoparasite loads than natural nests.