Most northerly record of Emperor Penguin in Australia

An Emperor Penguin has been taken into care after it was discovered on a beach in Western Australia, marking the most northern location ever recorded for the species.

Typically, Emperor Penguins are found within a circumpolar range in the Antarctic, primarily between latitudes 66°S and 77°S. Although they are native to Antarctica, rising temperatures threaten around 75% of their breeding colonies. In 2022, an alarming event led to the death of up to 10,000 young Emperor Penguins due to ice collapse.

The northernmost breeding colony is located on Snow Hill Island, near the Antarctic Peninsula's northern end. Occasionally, these penguins are spotted as far north as Heard Island, South Georgia, and sometimes New Zealand.

The appearance of this penguin in Denmark, Western Australia, however, is by far the most northern sighting.

Aaron Fowler, who discovered the bird on Ocean Beach, approximately 430 km south of Perth, recounted his experience to ABC, saying, "It was huge, much larger than any seabird, and we were curious about what was emerging from the water. It had a tail-like feature that reminded me of a duck. It stood up in the waves and waddled right up to us; it was an Emperor Penguin, probably about a meter tall, and it wasn’t shy at all."

Dr. Belinda Cannell, a Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia, confirmed that this sighting was unprecedented in its northern location and suggested that the penguin might have followed a current. The penguin has since been taken into care.

Earlier this year, another rare discovery of a King Penguin in southern Australia created excitement as it was only the third such sighting in the country.