First recorded loss of an Emperor Penguin colony

9:37 AM Sun 13 Mar 2011 GMT

'Emperor penguin with chicks' British Antarctic Survey &copy

Scientists at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have recently described the loss of a small colony of emperor penguins on an island off the West Antarctic Peninsula. The loss is attributed to reduced sea ice, which provides an important nesting substrate for the penguins as well as an important foraging habitat. Reporting in the February edition of the scientific journal PLoS ONE researchers from BAS and Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) say that this is the first time the disappearance of an emperor penguin colony has been documented. The small colony of birds on Emperor Island was found in 1948 when ...

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by British Antarctic Survey