# Chinstrap penguin (*Pygoscelis antarcticus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/chinstrap-penguin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus), also called the Ringed penguin, is a bird in the penguin family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes. It is a medium-sized bird with a representative adult body mass of 4.1 kg, with reported values from 3.9 to 4.4 kg. A marine, aquatic carnivore, it is classed as an aquatic predator and is partially migratory, with a geographic range of 12,590 km². It lays 2 eggs per clutch, one clutch per year, incubates them for 35 days, reaches sexual maturity at 3.5 years and is listed as Least Concern, not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.88 kg – 4.44 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 35 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Age at maturity | 3.48 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Sphenisciformes
- family: Spheniscidae
- genus: Pygoscelis
- species: *Pygoscelis antarcticus* (J. R. Forster, 1781)

Synonyms: *Aptenodytes antarctica*, *Pygoscelis antarctica*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the chinstrap penguin?

The chinstrap penguin is a bird, a penguin in the family Spheniscidae. It is also called the Ringed penguin.

### How heavy is a chinstrap penguin?

An adult Chinstrap penguin weighs 4.1 kg as a representative value, with reported values from 3.9 to 4.4 kg.

### What does the chinstrap penguin eat?

The chinstrap penguin is a carnivore classed as an aquatic predator.

### Is the chinstrap penguin endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How many eggs does the chinstrap penguin lay?

The chinstrap penguin lays 2 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 35 days.

### Does the chinstrap penguin migrate?

Yes, the chinstrap penguin is partially migratory.

### Who named the chinstrap penguin?

The scientific name Pygoscelis antarcticus is attributed to (J. R. Forster, 1781).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarcticus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/chinstrap-penguin