A juvenile king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) was sighted at San Martín Station, Marguerite Bay, west of the Antarctic Peninsula (68°07'S, 67°08'W) on 3 February 2020. The animal was apparently healthy. It was uninjured, moving freely between the station buildings. It remained in the area until 27 March, when it was last seen. Numerous king penguin records have been reported in recent years, mostly in the South Shetland Islands. Two chicks have even been recorded hatching on these islands, but there is currently no evidence that king penguins have raised a chick to emancipation successfully. Here we present the most southerly known record of king penguins, the only one farther south than the Antarctic Circle. Coupled with observations from other parts of Antarctica, the information presented here supports previous suggestions by other authors of a southwards expansion of this species specifically in the Antarctic Peninsula region. The presence of this species at numerous Antarctic localities suggests that the known distribution of this penguin could change in the near future in response to climate change.

The stomach contents of juvenile Magellanic penguins, Spheniscus magellanicus, stranded along the Atlantic coast (21–23°S) during the extreme mortality event of 2008 were analysed. The isotopic profiles of this species and their prey in a wintering area are presented to identify trophic relationships and to evaluate whether the prey species recovered in the stomach contents were assimilated. The prey groups recorded were molluscs (cephalopods and gastropods), teleost fish, and, to a lesser extent, crustaceans (decapods and isopods). Cephalopods were the most representative prey, and Argonauta nodosa was the most abundant species. Plant remains and solid waste were atypical items found in the stomach contents. The nitrogen isotope (δ15N) values found in this study confirm the higher trophic position of the penguins (14.5‰) relative to their prey (11.7–12.3‰). The carbon isotope (δ13C) measurements of all species are characteristic of marine coastal environments (−18.7 to −16.8‰). A Bayesian approach applied to stable isotope mixing models showed that cephalopods are assimilated to a greater extent than fish. However, the poor nutritional condition of specimens that reach the Brazilian coast, especially at the northern limit of migration (~21°S), indicates that prey ingestion is not sufficient for the maintenance of body weight.

Yellow-eyed penguins on Stewart Island were identified with a Leucocytozoon spp. of a novel lineage in association with a high regional incidence of chick mortality (n=32, 100% mortality) during the November 2006 to January 2007 breeding season. Fourteen chicks from Stewart Island were examined post-mortem and histologically for Leucocytozoon infection. In addition, a survey of blood to detect Leucocytozoon spp. infections using PCR was performed on 107 yellow-eyed penguins from 4 distinct nesting areas on the South Island (Oamaru, Otago Peninsula, and Catlins) (n=95), and Stewart Island (n=12). The results of the study revealed that 2 of the 14 (14%) chicks necropsied showed severe, disseminated megaloschizont formation in the liver, spleen, lung, kidney and other tissues characteristic of leucocytozoonosis. Eighty-three percent (83%) of blood samples collected from Stewart Island penguins contained Leucocytozoon DNA, whereas samples from the 3 other nesting areas were negative for the blood parasite. Leucocytozoon spp. DNA sequences isolated from blood and tissues of adults (n=10) and chicks (n=7) were similar and grouped with other published Leucocytozoon spp. sequences but in a distinct cluster together with closely related isolates from a Western march harrier (Circus aerginosus) and common loon (Gavia immer). These findings suggest that yellow-eyed penguins on Stewart Island are infected with a regionally isolated, host-specific Leucocytozoon spp. which may contribute to the high chick mortality observed during this period.

Antarctic penguins constitute excellent indicators of organic pollutants (PCBs, DDTs and HCHs), which reach the Antarctic either by atmospheric or maritime transport and are concentrated through the food chains. They are found mainly in lipids, both in adipose and other tissues of the organisms. Tissue samples of four gentoo and one Adélie penguins were collected during the summers of 1991, 1992 and 1993. PCBs and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were analysed in the adipose tissue, uropygeal gland, blood, brain, muscle, bone and liver. Organochlorines (OCs) were detected in the majority of the samples. The levels found in extractable fat were higher than in other tissues and the concentrations ranged from 42.3–1159.7 ng g−1 (HCB), from not detected to 39.3 ng g−1 (HCHs), from 30.8–972.3 ng g−1 (DDTs) and from 43.2–1583.6 ng g−1 (PCBs).

Seasonal haul-out patterns and diet of individually marked leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) were investigated at Bird Island, South Georgia during the 1983–96 winters. A total of 2956 leopard seal sightings were made, and 121 seals were tagged during the study, mainly between 1993 and 1996. Photographs of scars and pelage patterns were also used to identify a subset of these individuals across years, which provided no evidence of tag loss between or within years. Leopard seals were observed between April and November; the mean time between the first and last sightings in each year was 208 d (s d ± 48). Between 1993–96, eight seals were resident around the island for more than 100 d, and the longest recorded residence was 130 d. The proportion of tagged seals resighted was 0.35 and 0.17 in 1995 and 1996 respectively. Based on estimates of body length, <5% of the seals were juveniles (0–1 years) and >70% were not sexually mature. There was considerable inter-annual variation in abundance, with a maximum of 502 sightings during 1994, compared with a minimum of 21 during 1986 and 1989. Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) were the main prey item (58% of kills observed and 53% of scats). Other items included penguins (28% of kills observed and 20% of scats) and fish (24% of scats). Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and seabirds other than penguins were also present in the diet in small quantities.