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Since mid-August, about thirty African penguins have perished from the avian flu at Boulders Beach, a prominent breeding location in South Africa, which is closer to Cape Town.

Penguins are infected with bird flu

(Photo : joel herzog/Unsplash)

According to Dr. David Roberts of the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), 28 of the endangered seabirds either died or contracted the sickness and needed to be put to death as a result of it, as per Phys.org.

To find more birds that may have contracted the virus, SANCCOB and the South African National Parks (SANParks) are collaborating.

Every day, their rangers check the area in search of any birds that may be showing signs. If they find one, they will separate it away from the colony.

Dr. Roberts noted that the rangers are outfitted in protective gear to make sure they really aren't part of the transmission.

Approximately 3,000 African penguins, a species only found in Southern African waters, call the Boulders Beach penguin colony in Simon's Town on the country's picturesque coast about 20 kilometers from Cape Town home.

According to the SANParks, the avian influenza virus, which is normally spread by bird feces, was discovered in the nation in May of last year and has afflicted a variety of sea birds.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed African penguins as one of the species at danger of extinction.

Even while avian flu outbreaks are often not concerning for wild animal population levels, Roberts warned that they might increase the strain already placed on African penguins.

We are concerned that a disease might be the final straw for some of them because they are already under a lot of stress due to other factors, such as a shortage of food, habitat degradation, and the breakdown of the ocean ecosystem.

Reproduction of African penguins

Unless breeding has failed for whatever reason, African penguins are a monogamous breed with just one partner for the rest of their lives. In that case, they may take on another partner, as per SANBI.

Each breeding pair can return to the exact breeding colony and nesting site each year. The penguins breed in colonies, mainly on rocky shore islands.

African penguins used to dig their nests into the layers of guano that were present on most islands, but after these deposits were mostly exhausted due to commercial exploitation, African penguins were prompted to use different nesting locations.

Incubation lasts 38 to 41 days for one to two eggs per clutch in African penguins. Both sexes contribute greatly to the egg incubation process.

The second parent will leave to go foraging at sea or to gather vegetative nesting material while one parent is caring for the egg. To maintain a steady incubation temperature, each parent possesses an incubation pouch on their body.

After 14 days, the first moult takes place, followed by the second moult at 40-60 days, and the development of juvenile plumage at 70-80 days.

After 70 to 90 days, the chicks are completely fledged. The fledgling youngsters will leave the colony where they were born on their own and return after traveling at sea for 12 to 22 months so they can moult into their adult plumage.

Penguins must regularly shed their skin to stay warm and waterproof in frigid waters. Penguins will venture out to sea during the pre-moulting phase to bulk up for the moulting period.

After moulting, the penguins may set sail in their brand-new feathers and spend roughly six weeks replenishing their fat stores prior to the start of the breeding season.