King Penguins Molting - Volunteer Pt. Falklands

As the South Hemisphere summer approaches its ending in the Falkland Islands, a group of King penguins still molts in a chilly rainy day. The Birds face a drastic change of feathers every year which is tied in with the reproductive cycle of the species, causing a significant loss of body weight, fat reserves and the ability to dive in search of food. A study (1) published in 2019 evaluated the effects of the periodic molt on the diving and foraging capacity of king penguins, for two seasons. The authors found that the dive and underwater time duration were shorter after molting. The surface interval duration was longer, what reduced the diving efficiency and underwater foraging time. The authors also mention the loss of the insulating subcutaneous fat layer during the molting process.
The photo above has no direct relationship with this important study, which was carried out on Possession Island, in the Indian Ocean. This photograph was taken by me on East Falkland Island and illustrates a similar scene.


1- Manfred R. Enstipp, Charles-Andre Bost, Celine Le Bohec, Caroline Bost, Robin Laesser, Yvon Le Maho, Henri Weimerskirch and Yves Handrich, The dive performance of immature king penguins following their annual molt suggests physiological constraints. Journal of Experimental Biology (2019) 222, jeb208900. doi:10.1242/jeb.208900