• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
Banks, J., Van Buren, A., Cherel, Y., & Whitfield, J. B. 2006. Genetic evidence for three species of Rockhopper Penguins Eudyptes chrysocome. Polar Biology 30(1): 61-67.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Population justification: The latest estimates suggest a total population of c. 206,850 breeding pairs with the majority of the population (89.7%) being found at the Atlantic Ocean breeding sites (62,791 pairs on Middle/Alex Island in 2016, 64,700 pairs on Gough Island in 2006, 20,423 pairs on Nightingale Island in 2017, 33,867 pairs on Inaccessible Island in  2016, 3584 pairs on Tristan da Cunha islands in 2015) and 10.3% at the Indian Ocean islands (12,161 pairs on Amsterdam Island in 2015, 7,580 pairs on St Paul Island in 2018) (RZSS, BAS, CEBC-CNRS, RSPB, TAAF, TCD 2018).

Overall, recent analysis of population trends indicates that over the previous 30 years (three generations) the number of Northern Rockhopper Penguins globally declined by 57% (RZSS, BAS, CEBC-CNRS, RSPB, TAAF, TCD 2018).

Early records indicate that millions of Northern Rockhopper Penguins used to occur on both Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island prior to 1955. As a very rough estimate, approximately 2 million pairs (98%) were lost from Gough Island between 1955 and 2006, and Tristan da Cunha is thought to have held hundreds of thousands of pairs in the 1870s, which were reduced to around 5,000 pairs by 1955 (Cuthbert et al. 2009). At Amsterdam Island, numbers have been declining at an average rate of 3.7% since the early 1970s resulting in a 80% decline over the past three generations (Barbraud et al. in revision). On Saint Paul Island, the population has increased at a rate of 1.4% since the early 1970s (Barbraud et al. in revision).

Trend justification: Recent population models indicate that over the previous 30 years (three generations) the number of Northern Rockhopper Penguins globally declined by 57% and suggest an ongoing decline (Birdlife International 2010; 2017, RZSS, BAS, CEBC-CNRS, RSPB, TAAF, TCD 2018). Trends are contrasted at the species' two breeding locations in the Indian Ocean. At St. Paul Island, numbers have been increasing at an average rate of 1.4% since the early 1970s (Barbraud et al. in revision). At Amsterdam Island, numbers have been declining at an average rate of 3.7% since the early 1970s resulting in a 80% decline over the past three generations (Barbraud et al. in revision). At the Atlantic Ocean breeding sites, while numbers in the northern islands are believed to be stable, the population on Gough Island is still in decline (Cuthbert et al. 2009, Robson et al. 2011). Given the magnitude of the previously estimated declines, a repeat of the population models to update the current trend is a high priority action for the species.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2022) Species factsheet: Eudyptes moseleyi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/07/2022. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2022) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/07/2022.