Family: Spheniscidae (Penguins)

Authority: (Linnaeus, 1758)

Red List Category

Criteria: A3bce+4bce

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Justification of Red List category
African Penguin is assessed as Critically Endangered because it is undergoing an extremely rapid population decline, probably principally because of the impacts of competition with commercial fisheries and climate-mediated shifts in prey populations. Recent, near-complete count data for the number of breeding pairs show an alarming acceleration in the rate of decline and the current and future projected population reduction exceeds 80% over three generations. This trend currently shows no sign of reversing, and immediate conservation action is required.

Population size: 19800 mature individuals

Population trend: decreasing

Extent of occurrence (breeding/resident): 449,000 km²

Country endemic: no

Attributes
Land-mass type - continent
Realm - Afrotropical
IUCN System - Terrestrial
IUCN System - Marine