A penguin with a narrow black line running beneath the chin like a strap. It breeds on the Antarctic Peninsula and islands in the South Atlantic.
The tail is black and the flippers are black above and white below. Males and females have similar plumage.
The date when chinstrap penguins settle at their breeding grounds can change over a decade. A long-term study around the Antarctic Peninsula found that the start of continuous daily occupation of nesting areas advanced by about one day per year on average. Preparations for raising young on the Antarctic coast showed changes across the years.
Published in 2026, the study examined austral breeding seasons from 2011–2012 to 2021–2022. Across three penguin species, 77 cameras at 37 colonies recorded images at regular intervals. Chinstraps around the Antarctic Peninsula began continuously occupying nesting areas around 29 October on average. Many colonies showed earlier settlement over time, while Signy Island showed no clear trend. Even within one species, changes in the seasonal start differed among locations.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Conservation research on chinstrap penguins follows changes at individual breeding sites. A 2020 assessment combined ground and drone nest counts with satellite imagery and estimated about 3.42 million breeding pairs worldwide. Among colonies with historical comparisons, most on the western Antarctic Peninsula had declined. Other locations lacked the historical records needed to assess change. The authors identified repeat surveys in areas including the South Orkney and South Sandwich Islands, together with research on winter habitats and diet, as priorities.