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The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes), known also as hoiho or tarakaka, is a species of penguin endemic to New Zealand. Colonies on the Otago Peninsula are a popular tourist venue, where visitors may closely observe penguins from hides, trenches, or tunnels. On the New Zealand mainland, the species has experienced a significant decline over the past 20 years. On the Otago Peninsula, numbers have dropped by 75% since the mid-1990s and population trends indicate the possibility of local extinction in the next 20 to 40 years.
Crossing borders of both marine and terrestrial ecosystems makes yellow eyed penguins not only vulnerable to stressors from both environments, but as the threats cumulate, birds are even less resilient to additional impacts - such as the human disturbance.
Source of data: Wikipedia | Department of Conservation
Coded by Tereza Chudobova