Our Humboldt penguin's feathers are very important for keeping them warm and dry but after about a year the feathers may break, lighten in the sun and look a little worse for wear. In order to replace these feathers with a new set our penguins must moult!

The process of moulting for penguins starts up to a week before actually losing their feathers. Firstly you may notice our penguins starting to look a little plump just like Didgeridoo who has put on weight! 

This is because they increase their food intake and build up a fat reserve to live off of whilst moulting. They cannot get wet during the process of losing their feathers as they become a bit like a sponge and therefore unable to go into the water and
catch their usual daily supply of fish!

Then, once they reach a big enough size the new feathers beneath their skin will begin to push through just like they have on this photo of Peru!

During this process most penguins tend to stay out of the way of the rest of the group and spend time on their own but this is perfectly normal and is only whilst they are losing their feathers.

Once the final few old feathers have finished moulting it leaves a new shiny black coat of feathers just like Peru has now!

See if you can spot a moulting penguin amongst our Humboldt’s at the Inca Trail or Penguin Shores on your next visit!