Which penguin species is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List?

The African penguin is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

African penguins breed along the coast of Namibia and South Africa, including offshore islands. Their population has fallen sharply because of reduced food availability, changes in fish distribution, oil spills, disease, historical guano removal and disturbance at breeding sites.

The species was formerly called the jackass penguin because its braying call resembles a donkey’s cry. That older common name can cause confusion with the fact that African penguins are the only penguin species breeding naturally in Africa.

Conservation work includes protecting colonies, restoring nesting habitat, managing fisheries and responding to oil pollution. African penguins are not the only threatened penguins, but their IUCN category is more severe than the classifications used for several better-known species.