Penguins see shift in breeding season due to climate change

ANTARCTIC penguins are breeding up to two weeks earlier as a result of climate change, a decade-long study has found.

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A new study shows gentoo penguins are breeding up to 13 days earlier on average

(IGNACIO JUAREZ MARTINEZ/UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD/OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY)

Researchers studying Adelie, gentoo and chinstrap penguins said the changes were happening at a “record” rate, and warned they could threaten the birds’ access to food, force competition between species and increase the risk of “broad ecosystem collapse” in the Antarctic.

Researchers used dozens of time lapse cameras across 37 colonies in the Antarctic Peninsula and some sub-Antarctic islands to see when Adelie, gentoo and chinstrap penguins were settling into their breeding sites.