Did you know that 20 January is Penguin Awareness Day? This unofficial holiday is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate one of the world’s most popular birds and, at the same time, to reflect on the conservation challenges they face. Of the 18 penguin species, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) believes five species are in danger of extinction, and a further four are vulnerable. It’s only the Adelie, chinstrap, gentoo, little blue, and king penguin which are common enough to be categorised as species of least concern.
For Penguin Awareness Day, we’re sharing our favourite penguin facts, plus recommendations of where to see these endearing birds in the wild.
Fact: You don’t have to go all the way to the Antarctic to see penguin in the wild.