Penguins in Antarctica have radically shifted their breeding season, apparently as a response to climate change, research has found. “We are very concerned because these penguins are advancing their season so much, and penguins are now breeding earlier than in any known records,” said the report’s lead author, Dr Ignacio Juarez Martínez. “The changes are happening so fast that the penguins could end up breeding at times when their prey is not available yet. This represents the fastest change in phenology (timing of breeding) recorded in any bird, and possibly any vertebrate, to date. Such drastic changes also threaten to increase competition between the region’s penguin species, with clear “winners” and “losers” expected.

Source: The Guardian January 21, 2026 05:01 UTC