# Magellanic penguin (*Spheniscus magellanicus*)

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

The magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) is a bird in the penguin family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes. It is a medium-sized penguin with an adult body mass of 4.105 kg, with reported values from 3.77 to 4.47 kg. This marine, aquatic bird is a carnivorous aquatic predator and is partially migratory, with a geographic range of 940,600 km². It lays a clutch of 2 eggs once per year, incubates them for 40 days, and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.77 kg – 4.47 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 21.5 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 30 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 40 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2 |
| Age at maturity | 2.85 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: Spheniscus
- species: *Spheniscus magellanicus* (J. R. Forster, 1781)

Synonyms: *Aptenodytes magellanicus*

## Common questions

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

The magellanic penguin is a bird in the penguin family Spheniscidae, order Sphenisciformes, genus Spheniscus.

### How heavy is a magellanic penguin?

An adult Magellanic penguin weighs 4.105 kg, with reported values from 3.77 to 4.47 kg.

### What does the magellanic penguin eat?

The magellanic penguin is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.

### Is the magellanic penguin endangered?

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

### How long does a magellanic penguin live?

The magellanic penguin has a lifespan of 21.5 years, with values up to 30 years reported.

### How many eggs does a magellanic penguin lay?

It lays 2 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year, with an incubation period of 40 days.

### When does a magellanic penguin reach sexual maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 1,040 days, or 2.8 years.

### Who named the magellanic penguin?

It was named Spheniscus magellanicus by (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: Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/magellanic-penguin