When it comes to Patagonia’s wildlife, people often talk about the ‘Big 5’: the puma, condor, guanaco, huemul deer and Darwin’s rhea. They’re all great to see of course, but there’s a certain degree of terrestrial bias when it comes to the list: they’re species you can see inland in one of the region’s great national parks like Torres del Paine. But Patagonia’s coastline, stretching along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, gives the opportunity for a species to muscle its way into a revised ‘Big 6’: the Magellanic penguin, one of South America’s most charismatic birds.
- Introducing the Magellanic penguin
- Where do Magellanic penguins live?
- How to see Magellanic penguins in Patagonia
Introducing the Magellanic penguin
The Magellanic penguin (pronounced mag-ey-anic in Spanish) is one of Patagonia’s great reminders that it lies at the very bottom of the planet, with only a narrow stretch of sea between the tip of South America and the continent of Antarctica. Magellanics aren’t polar penguins themselves, but they’re definitely kissing cousins – and in several places in Patagonia can be seen alongside Antarctic species like gentoo penguins.
Magellanics stand around 75 cm (30 inches) tall. Their plumage is the classic penguin black and white, livened up with a circular black band around their white chest, and a white band around a black face. Like all penguins, they’re full of character.
Like most Patagonia travellers, Magellanic penguins don’t visit during the winter, spending the months of April to August at sea, where they dine mostly off squid. In September, the males return from the sea to grab a breeding spot on the beaches – and fight each other for the privilege. When things have calmed down, the females arrive around a fortnight later when the nests are ready for them. Most Magellanics are faithful to the same partner year after year – and return to the same nest.
Like all penguins, Magellanics are highly social, and nest in enormous colonies. The largest are on Argentina’s Atlantic coast, with a colony of around 300,000 birds at Punta Tombo south of Puerto Madryn (the gateway to Peninsula Valdés). In total, the global population of Magellanic penguins is thought to be around 1.5 million, all of which are in Patagonia. Colonies are noisy, busy places – Magellanics have a call that’s a little like the bray of a donkey, which they make by throwing their heads and flippers back and squawking like their lives depend on it.
Magellanic penguins lay their eggs in October, with chicks arriving around the middle of November. By February, the chicks are ready to fledge and take their first tentative steps into the sea. Once there’s no need to feed their young, the adults begin to moult, a process that involves completely replacing their feathers along with a hungry couple of weeks on the land when they’re waiting to become waterproof again. With their new plumage preened and ready for action, and the days shortening, the penguins take to the sea. By April, Patagonia’s beaches are empty for another season.
Where do Magellanic penguins live?
If you’re near the coast in Patagonia, there’s a good chance that you’re closer than you think to a Magellanic penguin: if not to an actual colony, then certainly a bird swimming for squid.
The biggest concentrations of Magellanic penguins are found around Peninsula Valdés, which is part of Argentina’s Chubut province on its Atlantic coast.
Magellanic penguins can then be found at points south from here along the Atlantic coast, to the vast island of Tierra del Fuego.
Continuing clockwise and north, Magellanic penguins can be seen along Chilean Patagonia’s Pacific coast coast, albeit in smaller numbers than in Atlantic waters. The penguins generally prefer the open waters of the ocean rather than the narrow channels of the fjords that line the coast. They breed on Chiloé Island, including at Puñihuil, which is the only place in the world where they form colonies with Humboldt penguins.
Their northernmost breeding colony is at Isla Cachagua, just north of the city of Valparaíso, though warming seas and overfishing has seen a general decline in the most northerly colonies. By contrast, Magellanic penguin numbers seem to be thriving in the south, with several new colonies in Chilean Tierra del Fuego discovered in 2025.
During their winters at sea, Magellanic penguins migrate vast distances for food. Along the Atlantic coast they’ll range as far as the beaches of Santa Catarina in Brazil – and even Rio de Janeiro.
The southernmost extent of the Magellanic penguin’s range is the Falkland Islands, where they can be seen in colonies close to the capital Stanley and on several outlying islands.
How to see Magellanic penguins in Patagonia
Because Magellanic penguins spend the months of April to August completely at sea, travellers hoping to see them must travel to the region between September and March.
The best place by far to see Magellanic penguins is along Peninsula Valdés.This is home to enormous penguin colonies, including at Caleta Valdés and Esancia San Lorenzo. The world’s largest colony is at Punta Tombo, south of the main gateway city of Puerto Madryn. Large colonies can also be found around Bahía Bustamante.
The waters here are fantastically rich, and Magellanic penguins are only one species that can be seen on a wildlife safari, including southern right whales, sea lions and elephant seals – and even the chance to see resident orcas hunting on the beaches.
In the far south, the most accessible colony is at Isla Magdalena in the Magellan Strait, which can easily be visited on a day trip from Punta Arenas. As well as being a gateway to Torres del Paine, Punta Arenas offers the chance to see South America’s only resident king penguin colony. Longer Tierra del Fuego cruises also visit Magellanic penguin colonies at the Tucker Islets, and spectacular glaciers, and Cape Horn. Magellanic penguins can also be seen on day trips along the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia.
Further north along the Chilean coast, Chiloé Island has Magellanic penguin colonies and the island is an excellent wildlife watching destination with many endemics, and the world’s smallest deer.
To the south, many Antarctic cruises include the opportunity to visit the Falkland Islands, along with that other prime penguin destination, South Georgia. The largest accessible colony is found on the wide sandy beaches of Carcass Island, though visitors to Saunders Island can see Magellanics alongside three other penguin species here: rockhoppers, gentoos and even a small number of king penguins. Cruise ships calling at Stanley often include the opportunity to make a side trip to nearby Gypsy Cove, where there is a small Magellanic penguin colony.
With plenty of places to see them, it’s easy to see how Magellanic penguins have become such an iconic penguin species – and one with such personality they’re must see if your travels take to you close to Patagonia’s epic coastline.
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