Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), Fernandina Island.
Image: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- EN · Endangered
- Animal group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2020 global assessment of Spheniscus mendiculus says EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The Galápagos penguin is the only penguin found north of the equator and the rarest penguin species. It is assessed as Endangered.
It depends on cool, food-rich currents around the islands.
Range & habitat
The Galápagos Islands, on the equator.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Ocean changes that reduce food (such as El Niño)
- Introduced predators and disease
- Bycatch
Why it matters
Living at the very edge of where penguins can survive, the Galápagos penguin is acutely sensitive to ocean change and a barometer for the islands' marine ecosystem.
Gallery
Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), Isabela Island.
Image: putneymark, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Galápagos Penguin
- IUCN Red List — look up Galápagos Penguin (authoritative status)
- Animal Diversity Web