Skip to content
RarestPlaces
A gentoo penguin colony on the rocks of Cuverville Island, with icebergs and an expedition ship in the channel behind

Gentoo penguin

Gentoo penguin facts for travelers: how many there are and where they breed, the Antarctic landings with the biggest colonies, when the chicks are out, the cheapest voyages that visit them, and why scientists now propose four species.

LBM1948, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Where do gentoo penguins live, and where can you see them?

The gentoo is the penguin with the red-orange bill and white eye patches, about 30 inches (75 cm) tall, and the one most Antarctic Peninsula cruises meet. A 2020 count found about 432,000 pairs, most in the Falklands, South Georgia and on the Peninsula. Neko Harbour and Cuverville Island, two of the most-landed sites, are gentoo colonies, with chicks out in January and February. It is rated Least Concern.

Facts checked October 15, 2026 against 33 sources.

Gentoo penguin facts

  1. July: no trips
  2. August: no trips
  3. September: no trips
  4. October: no trips
  5. November: no trips
  6. December: best
  7. January: best
  8. February: best
  9. March: no trips
  10. April: no trips
  11. May: no trips
  12. June: no trips

Best Season

Scientific name
Pygoscelis papua
Where to see
The Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetlands, and subantarctic islands east to Kerguelen and Macquarie. On a cruise: Neko Harbour, Cuverville Island, Port Lockroy, Petermann Island, Yankee Harbour and Volunteer Point; near Ushuaia, Isla Martillo.
Best months
December to February
Population
About 432,000 breeding pairs (2020 global count, up about 11% since 2013); the IUCN Red List uses BirdLife's 2013 figure of 774,000 mature birds, stable overall
Status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020); Near Threatened from 2000 to 2012

The gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) is the one with the bright red-orange bill and the white patch running back from each eye, and it is the penguin you are most likely to meet on an Antarctic Peninsula cruise.12 It is the third-largest penguin, about 30 in (75 cm) tall and 11 to 18 lb (5 to 8 kg).31 Neko Harbour, the most landed site on the Peninsula in 2025-26, and Cuverville Island, fourth, are both gentoo colonies.456 For the other penguins of a polar trip, see our penguin species guide and the king and chinstrap pages.

How many gentoo penguins are there, and where do they live?

About 432,000 breeding pairs (338,059 to 534,114), by a global count published in 2020 that found the population up about 11% since 2013.7 They breed on coasts around the Southern Ocean, from the Crozet Islands at 46°S to the Fish Islands at 66°S on the Antarctic Peninsula, and about 85% of them are in the Atlantic sector.27 The figure of about 387,000 pairs that some official pages still give is the 2013 estimate, and the IUCN Red List, through BirdLife International, still uses a 2013 figure of 774,000 mature birds.172

WhereBreeding pairsHow current
Falkland Islands131,059, 30% of the world totalLast full survey in 2010, with some colonies recounted since; estimate published in 20207
Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands127,320Compiled for the 2020 count; up about 23% on the western Peninsula since 20137
South Georgia98,867Last estimated in the mid-1980s; the island government gave about 105,000 in 202378
Indian Ocean islands, such as Kerguelen and CrozetAbout 16% of the world totalRarely surveyed7

Gentoos stay close to their colonies all year, and they are moving south: since 1994 they have colonized at least eight new islands and pushed their range about 37 miles (60 km) farther down the Peninsula, with 1,789 pairs in that new zone by 2018.17 Oceanwide's March voyage to the Antarctic Circle plans a landing at the Yalour Islands, which it calls home to some of the most southerly gentoos in the world.9

Where can you see gentoo penguins in Antarctica?

At most of the busiest landing sites on the Peninsula. This table shows how many ship and yacht landings each site had in the 2025-26 season, by IAATO's count, with the latest nest counts where one exists:4

SiteLandings, 2025-26Gentoos there
Neko Harbour, Andvord Bay210, the most on the Peninsula1,485 nests counted on January 1, 2026; by mid-season nests cover the sandy beach and the loop walk closes105
Cuverville Island, Errera Channel1699,721 nests counted by drone on January 2, 2026, against 3,200 in 1988; HX calls it the largest known gentoo colony1011
Danco Island140Gentoos nesting on the island, per Oceanwide12
Petermann Island118Gentoos and Adélies13
Goudier Island, Port Lockroy102More than 1,000 gentoos around the museum and post office14
Yankee Harbour, Greenwich Island80Several thousand pairs; HX puts it at about 4,0001511
Jougla Point, Port Lockroy521,515 nests counted from the ground on December 14, 202510

Counts swing from year to year: Cuverville had 4,461 nests in 2021-22 and more than 9,000 since, and it was closed for bird flu from December 11, 2024 to January 22, 2025.104 Outside Antarctica, gentoos breed at about 85 colonies around the Falkland Islands, which Falklands Conservation calls some of the easiest to visit, including Volunteer Point.1617 On South Georgia they nest in small colonies all around the coast, and from Ushuaia boats run to Isla Martillo, about 56 miles (90 km) away, where a smaller number of gentoos breeds among Magellanic penguins from October to April.818

When can you see gentoo chicks?

In January and February on the Peninsula, and earlier in the Falklands. On the Peninsula, researchers at Palmer Station make their peak count of gentoo eggs in December; eggs hatch after 34 to 37 days, and chicks form crèches at about 26 days old and fledge at 80 to 90 days.191 The Oceanites survey team counted 1,708 chicks at Neko Harbour on January 16, 2026.10 In the Falklands, nest building starts in September, two eggs are laid in October, and chicks are fully moulted by late January and go to sea in late February.16

So a Peninsula voyage in October or November finds penguins courting and building nests, as HX puts it, December finds gentoos on eggs, and January and February bring chicks.2019 Late in the season, the crowd of moulting birds can confine visitors at Cuverville to the area around the landing beach.6 Our best time to visit Antarctica guide sets this against weather and prices.

Which Antarctica cruises give the best odds of seeing gentoo penguins?

Nearly any Antarctic Peninsula voyage, because gentoos nest at so many of the sites ships land at; what you choose is the month and the fare. No operator promises a sighting, and weather can cancel any landing. These are the cheapest 2026-27 voyages we found that name gentoo sites:

VoyageDepartureGentoo sites namedLowest published fare, per person
Oceanwide Antarctica Whale Watching, Plancius, 10 days, Ushuaia round tripMarch 26, 2027Danco Island, Port Lockroy and Jougla Point12$7,050, one berth in a shared four-berth porthole cabin, with two women's berths left; no flights; read October 15, 202621
HX Highlights of Antarctica, 12 days, Buenos Aires round tripOctober 30, 2026 on Fridtjof Nansen, or January 9, 2027 on Roald AmundsenYankee Harbour, Cuverville Island and Neko Harbour among its possible landings11$8,830 in October (was $10,589) or $9,736 in January (was $11,773), two sharing, after HX's 130th anniversary discounts, the extra one only for bookings made by November 9, 2026; includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and flights to and from Ushuaia; read October 14, 20261122
HX Antarctica and Falklands, Fridtjof Nansen, 19 days, Buenos Aires to MontevideoMarch 19, 2027Peninsula landings, then Stanley in the Falklands23$10,485, two sharing (was $14,398), with the same discounts; includes a Buenos Aires hotel night and the flight to Ushuaia; read October 14, 20262322

Our pick for gentoos is the January 9 departure: it is the only one here that sails in January, as the chicks are hatching, and its fare already covers the flights to Ushuaia.1110 The October date is $906 cheaper but arrives while the birds are still building nests, and Oceanwide's late-March berth, the cheapest here, comes when Peninsula chicks are close to fledging and only women's berths were left at that price.20121 To see the Falklands gentoo as well as the Antarctic one, which a 2026 study treats as separate species, choose a voyage that calls at both, such as HX's March trip.2423 For more ways to keep the cost down, see the cheapest way to Antarctica.

How close can you get to gentoo penguins? Are they friendly?

At least 16 ft (5 m) on land in Antarctica, camera lenses included, and outside the edge of the colony; since bird flu reached the region, visitors may also not sit, crouch, kneel or put equipment on the ground.252627 In the Falklands the rule is 20 ft (6 m).28 Gentoos nest close to where people walk, which is why the rules bite. At Neko Harbour, the northern part of the site becomes a penguin highway that visitors may not enter once the colony is established, and on December 5, 2023 IAATO stopped landings at Port Lockroy because gentoos nesting beside the museum made the 5 m distance impossible to keep.529 Our Antarctica visitor rules guide covers the rest.

Are they friendly? Falklands Conservation describes the gentoo as very inquisitive but easily scared off its nest by people who come too close.16 BirdLife notes that tourist disturbance has been linked to lower breeding success, but that the visited sites hold less than 5% of the gentoos in the Falklands, South Georgia and the British Antarctic Territory.2

What is special about gentoo penguins?

Their tails, their stones and their commute. Gentoos have the most prominent tail of any penguin, which sweeps from side to side as they walk, and parents change over incubation shifts daily.3 They build nests on beaches or among tussock grass and defend them keenly; in the Falklands they use diddle-dee twigs, grass, small stones and even lumps of mud.116 Falklands colonies can lie up to 3 miles (5 km) inland, reached along routes locals call penguin highways, with a rush hour in the early evening as birds come home from the sea, and the chicks must chase their parents to be fed.16

On the Peninsula, gentoos are the climate winners. Adélie and chinstrap numbers there have fallen since the 1980s while gentoos have grown, and scientists point to their more flexible diet, foraging and breeding timing.7

Is the gentoo penguin really four species?

Possibly. In 2020 Tyler and colleagues found that gentoos from the Falklands, South Georgia, Kerguelen and the South Shetlands and western Peninsula differ genetically and in body measurements, and proposed four species.30 A larger genomic study published in April 2026 also recognized four but drew the lines differently, keeping South Georgia's birds as a subspecies of the southern gentoo and naming a new species for Kerguelen and Heard; size is the key difference, and the Peninsula's gentoos are the smallest.24

Proposed species (2026 study)Where it breedsWhere travelers meet it
Northern gentoo, P. papuaFalkland Islands and Isla MartilloFalklands calls; boat trips from Ushuaia2418
Southern gentoo, P. ellsworthiAntarctic Peninsula, South Shetlands, South Orkneys and South Georgia (as subspecies P. e. poncetii)Every Peninsula and South Georgia voyage24
Eastern gentoo, P. taeniataCrozet, Marion and Macquarie IslandsMacquarie, on some Ross Sea voyages2431
Southeastern gentoo, P. kerguelensisKerguelen and Heard IslandsNone of the voyages we list24

The IUCN Red List, through BirdLife, still treats the gentoo as one species, and both studies ask for each lineage to be assessed separately, because some are declining.23024

Are gentoo penguins endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List rates the gentoo Least Concern, most recently in 2020; it was Near Threatened in every assessment from 2000 to 2012 and regained Least Concern in 2016.2 The global total is rising, but the trends run in opposite directions:

  • Growing in the south. The western Peninsula population rose about 23% between 2013 and the 2020 count.7
  • Falling in the east. Macquarie Island has lost half its breeding pairs over three generations, and the monitored colony on Crozet's Possession Island fell 32.6% between 1992 and 2018.24
  • Swinging in the Falklands. Breeding pairs at the monitored colonies fell 35% between 2015 and 2016, with a small recovery since.2
  • Bird flu. Dead gentoos tested positive in the Falklands from March 2025, including at Volunteer Point; in late 2025 about 100 or more were found dead at each of Little Creek, Volunteer Lagoon and Sparrow Cove, and the first two were closed to the public for weeks.32 On South Georgia, one gentoo colony was confirmed infected in February 2024.33

How long do gentoo penguins live, and what eats them?

Ten to 15 years in the wild, by Falklands Conservation's estimate, and they start breeding at two to five years old.16 Leopard seals take older birds, and sea lions are the main predator at sea around the Falklands; ashore, skuas eat eggs, and sheathbills, caracaras, kelp gulls, giant petrels and feral cats take chicks.116 Gentoos feed close to home, mostly within 12 miles (20 km) of the coast, on krill and other crustaceans, small fish and squid.168

Where to see gentoo penguin

Antarctic Peninsula

Planning an Antarctic Peninsula cruise: how long trips last, where ships land, the best month by temperature and wildlife, landing rules, ship sizes and starting fares.

Neko Harbour

Landing at Neko Harbour, the Antarctic Peninsula's most visited site: the visitor rules, the calving-wave and crevasse warnings, the gentoo colony, the whaling history and which ships stop.

Cuverville Island

Visiting Cuverville Island in the Errera Channel: its large gentoo penguin colony, the landing beach and closed areas, whaling relics, bird flu closures and which ships stop.

Port Lockroy

Visiting Port Lockroy: the Base A museum and Penguin Post Office on Goudier Island, its 60-visitor limit, how long postcards take, the gentoo colony and which voyages stop there.

South Shetland Islands

The island chain most Antarctic cruises reach first: where it is, its dozen landing sites and how busy each is, the penguins and seals, the research stations and how to get there.

South Georgia

Where South Georgia is and how to visit it: which voyages go and what they cost, whether the extra week is worth it, the best months, the wildlife and the government's rules.

Falkland Islands

How to visit the Falkland Islands and what it costs: the weekly flight from Chile, the UK airbridge, the cruises that stop and their fares, the best penguin sites and months, and the rules.

Stanley

Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, on a cruise day: getting ashore, what to see on foot, penguins nearby, shore excursions and prices, and the weather month by month.

Ushuaia

Ushuaia, Argentina, the port where most Antarctic cruises start: flights in, how many days to arrive early, what to do before and after, the port and last-minute deals.

More polar wildlife

Emperor penguin

Where and how to see emperor penguins in the wild: why Antarctic Peninsula cruises miss them, which helicopter voyages and fly-in trips go to a colony and for how much, plus size, lifespan and conservation status.

Polar bear

Where polar bears live and where to see them: Churchill in October and November, Svalbard by ship in summer, Kaktovik in Alaska, with odds, prices, the Svalbard distance and firearm rules, and why none live in Antarctica.

Penguin species

All 18 penguin species in one table, with scientific names, where each breeds, size and IUCN status, plus which ones you can see on an Antarctic, South Georgia, Falklands or Ross Sea trip.

King penguin

King penguin facts for travelers: how many there are and where they breed, the South Georgia and Falklands landings that put you among them, the months for chicks, the voyages with the most time there, and the rules ashore.

Chinstrap penguin

Chinstrap penguin facts for travelers: how many there are and where they breed, the South Shetland colonies ships land at and which ships may land, when the chicks hatch, the voyages that list them, and why numbers are falling.

Sources

  1. 1.Gentoo penguin, Australian Antarctic Division (Australian Antarctic Program). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  2. 2.Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua: species factsheet, BirdLife International (Data Zone). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  3. 3.Antarctic Penguins (public information leaflet, 2017), British Antarctic Survey (NERC). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  4. 4.IAATO Operator Use of Antarctic Peninsula Landing Sites, 2025-26 Season Report and Five-Year Overview, with appendix tables (ATCM 48 IP 199), International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Accessed October 15, 2026.
  5. 5.Site Guidelines for Visitors: Neko Harbour, Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  6. 6.Site Guidelines for Visitors: Cuverville Island, Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  7. 7.Update on the global abundance and distribution of breeding Gentoo Penguins (Pygoscelis papua) (Polar Biology, 2020), Herman et al., Polar Biology (Springer); accepted manuscript via the University of Oxford repository. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  8. 8.South Georgia Terrestrial Protected Area: description of the protected features (October 2023), Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  9. 9.Antarctica: Elephant Island, Weddell Sea, Polar Circle, m/v Plancius, 12 to 26 March 2027 (PLA31-27), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  10. 10.MAPPPD penguin census data for Cuverville Island, Half Moon Island, Jougla Point, Port Lockroy, Neko Harbor and Snow Hill Island (CSV export), Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD), Lynch Lab, Stony Brook University and Oceanites. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  11. 11.Highlights of Antarctica Expedition Cruise (12 days, round-trip flights from Buenos Aires), HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  12. 12.Antarctica - Whale watching | PLA32-27, Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  13. 13.Site Guidelines for Visitors: Petermann Island, Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  14. 14.Meet our 2026 Antarctic team (2026/27 season at Port Lockroy), UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  15. 15.Site Guidelines for Visitors: Yankee Harbour, Greenwich Island (ATCM, 2019), Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  16. 16.Gentoo penguin, Falklands Conservation. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  17. 17.Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands Tourist Board. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  18. 18.Canoero (Beagle Channel and Isla Martillo penguin colony trips), Secretaría de Turismo de Ushuaia. Accessed October 14, 2026.
  19. 19.Palmer Station Monthly Science Report, November 2009, Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (NSF). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  20. 20.In-depth Antarctica, Falklands & South Georgia Expedition (23 days, round-trip flights from Santiago de Chile), HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  21. 21.Dates & Rates: Antarctica & Arctic Cruises (m/v Ortelius and m/v Plancius tables, 2026-27 to 2027-28), Oceanwide Expeditions. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  22. 22.HX Expeditions unveils new fleet enhancements for 2026 and beyond (press release, 1 September 2026), HX Expeditions (Mynewsdesk newsroom). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  23. 23.Antarctica & Falklands Expedition Cruise (19 days, Buenos Aires to Montevideo), HX Expeditions (Hurtigruten Expeditions). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  24. 24.Integrative evidence reveals adaptive divergence and speciation in gentoo penguins (Communications Biology, 2026), Noll et al., Communications Biology (Nature Portfolio). Accessed October 15, 2026.
  25. 25.General Guidelines for Visitors to the Antarctic (ATCM), English poster, Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (poster published by IAATO). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  26. 26.Don't Hug the Penguins, and Other Rules in Antarctica, International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), blog. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  27. 27.How can I help? (avian influenza rules for visitors), International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Accessed October 14, 2026.
  28. 28.Countryside Code, Falkland Islands Government Environment Unit (published by the Falkland Islands Tourist Board). Accessed October 15, 2026.
  29. 29.Update on avian flu (Goudier Island closure, December 2023), UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  30. 30.Morphometric and genetic evidence for four species of gentoo penguin (Ecology and Evolution, 2020), Tyler et al., Ecology and Evolution (Wiley). Accessed October 15, 2026.
  31. 31.Scott & Shackleton’s Antarctic - Ross Sea Expedition: from Jan 25, 27 to Feb 15, 27 | PONANT United States, PONANT. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  32. 32.Avian Influenza Information, Falkland Islands Government, Department of Agriculture. Accessed October 15, 2026.
  33. 33.HPAI Confirmed in Penguin Populations on South Georgia (news release, March 11, 2024), Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands. Accessed October 15, 2026.