It’s not a pleasant sight, but finding the world’s tiniest penguins dead on the beaches of New Zealand isn’t uncommon these days. And it’s not just one or two kororas, sometimes known as little blue penguins, that have washed up dead in the last month and a half. More over half of them have washed up in the last ten days. In May, 109 koror were discovered dead on New Zealand’s 9 Mile Beach, followed by at least 100 bodies on Cable Bay and 40 on Tokerau Beach. According to estimates, the number could soon exceed 1,000.
On the first day, I counted 75 dead penguins across a 10-kilometer radius. On Day 2, I counted them again while heading north, and there were 71 that morning. Vaughn Turner, a local homeowner, was quoted by Radio New Zealand as saying, “On the third day, I counted about 59 dead birds.” Turner is said to have made a checklist of birds he saw while walking on a trail in late May, and his nature documentation quickly transformed into a gloomy diary.
What are Kororra Penguins ?
Koror penguins are the smallest penguin species in the planet, standing less than a foot tall and weighing around 1.5 kilogrammes. The small blue penguins, or simply blue penguins, get their name from their pale blue – or even indigo – plumage. A koror is a New Zealand native that can usually be found waddling around on the beach. They eat small fish like anchovies and sardines.
Why is this happening ?
Some scientists believe that the korors are dying of famine because they are unable to obtain sufficient food at sea. The small blue penguins are having a difficult time finding food due to a marine heat wave in the country’s northern waterways. The korors are driven to forage in colder, deeper waters as a result of the warmer seas. The penguins’ stress levels are rising due to the difficulty of nesting, reproducing, and finding food, making them more exposed to predators. Furthermore, some of the young women who abandon their parents are unable to support themselves.
Adult birds find breeding difficult because they must acquire food for themselves and their offspring, according to a survey published by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. “As they dive deeper for food, this increased stress and tiredness may make some birds more prone to disease or raise the chance of a predator attack.”
Featured Image: Reddit.com
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