A rare king penguin was spotted near the Vernadsky station in Antarctica

A bird, which usually lives thousands of kilometers away on sub-Antarctic islands, unexpectedly appeared during a scientific landing on Booth Island and became the fourth penguin species researchers saw in one outing.

Ukrainian polar explorers recorded a rare appearance of a king penguin near the "Vernadsky" station. This was reported by UNN with reference to a post on the official page of the National Antarctic Scientific Center on Facebook.

Details

For this area, such an appearance is a great rarity, as king penguins prefer warmer sub-Antarctic islands. Their closest colony is located approximately two thousand kilometers from the station.

Sometimes individual birds still swim to Galindez Island, where Ukrainian scientists work, but this time the penguin was spotted on the neighboring Booth Island. Biologists arrived there to count the chicks of three local penguin species - gentoo, chinstrap, and Adélie, which nest there.

According to Zoia Shvydka, a biologist of the 30th expedition, the encounter happened by chance: due to the difficult ice situation, the researchers had to change their landing site, and it was there that they saw the rare guest. As a result, scientists recorded four species of penguins instead of the planned three.

In total, five species of penguins live in Antarctica. King penguins are the second largest: they grow to about one meter and weigh up to 18 kilograms. They are easily recognized by bright orange spots on their cheeks, neck, and beak. Unlike gentoo penguins, which build nests from stones, king penguins lay one egg and incubate it on their feet, covering it with a fold of skin.

Recall

In early December 2025, the first penguin chick of the new season was born at the Ukrainian Antarctic station "Academician Vernadsky". This happened earlier than traditional dates, which may indicate warming in Antarctica.