House Hunting

African penguins are less than 2 feet tall. But they have big personalities. They live in large groups and honk loudly at each other. Like people, each penguin has a unique voice.

The penguins live along the southern coast of Africa. They hunt fish in the ocean and lay eggs on land. But the penguins have a big problem. Their environment has been changing. They have no safe place to nest.

A team of scientists wants to help. They’re designing artificial nests to protect African penguins. But that’s not easy. People have tried building nests before, but the penguins didn’t use them. The nests often got too hot.

“Now we’re going about it more scientifically,” says Kevin Graham. He’s a biologist at the Dallas Zoo in Texas who is working on the project.

African penguins are short. They are less than 2 feet tall. But they have big personalities. They live in large groups. They honk loudly. Each penguin has a unique voice. That’s just like people!

The penguins live along the southern coast of Africa. They hunt fish in the ocean. They lay eggs on land. But the penguins have a big problem. Their environment has been changing. They have no safe place to nest.

A team of scientists wants to help. They’re designing artificial nests. They hope to protect African penguins. But it’s not easy. People have tried building nests before. But the penguins didn’t use them. The nests often got too hot.

Kevin Graham is a biologist. He works at the Dallas Zoo in Texas. He’s helping with the project. He hopes to make new penguin homes.

African penguins used to make their own nests. They would burrow into a thick layer of bird poop, called guano. The guano came from the penguins and other seabirds. It had built up over hundreds of years. 

Guano nests were perfect for penguins. The nests protected them from the hot sun. They also kept out seagulls and other animals that eat penguin eggs. 

In the 1860s, however, people began collecting the guano. They used it as fertilizer for farms. By 1900, almost none was left. “It’s like if I bulldozed your neighborhood,” says Trudi Malan. She studies the penguins in South Africa.

With little guano available, the penguins now lay their eggs in the open. But the birds often get too hot. The parents leave the nest to cool off in the water. Then seagulls can snatch the unattended eggs. That’s one reason the African penguin population is at risk.

African penguins used to make their own nests. They would burrow into a thick layer of bird poop. The poop is called guano. The guano came from the penguins. It also came from other seabirds. It had built up over hundreds of years. 

Guano nests were perfect for penguin families. The nests protected the penguins from the hot sun. They also kept seagulls and other animals away. This protected the eggs.

But then things changed. People began collecting the guano in the 1860s. They used it as fertilizer for farms. By 1900, almost none was left. “It’s like if I bulldozed your neighborhood,” says Trudi Malan. She studies the penguins. She works in South Africa.

Now there is little guano left. So the penguins lay their eggs in the open. But the birds get hot in the sun. The parents leave the nest. They cool off in the water. Then seagulls can snatch the eggs. That’s one reason the African penguin population is at risk.

Scientists started making artificial nests in 2016. They came up with 15 different designs using various shapes and materials. Each one looked like a little hut.

The scientists needed to choose a design that would be safe for penguins. Most important, it needed to stay cool inside. If the temperature rose above 41° Celsius (106° Fahrenheit), eggs and chicks would die.

Malan helped test the nest designs in South Africa. At first, scientists didn’t let any penguins use the nests. They just placed the nests in the sun and measured the temperature inside.

Two nest designs stayed cool enough. The scientists decided to take these to the penguins’ habitat. It was time to see how the birds reacted to the nests.

Scientists started making artificial nests in 2016. They came up with 15 different designs. They used various shapes. They used different materials. Each one looked like a little hut.

The scientists needed to choose a design that would be safe for penguins. Most important, it needed to stay cool inside. This meant keeping the temperature below 41° Celsius (106° Fahrenheit). Eggs and chicks would die if it got any hotter. 

Malan helped test the nest designs in South Africa. Scientists didn’t let any penguins use the nests at first. They placed the nests in the sun. Then they measured the temperature inside.

Two nest designs stayed cool enough. The scientists decided to take these to the penguins’ habitat. It was time to see how the birds reacted to the nests.

In January 2018, the scientists set up 200 artificial nests in African penguin colonies. They put thermometers inside to measure the temperature. Then they watched to see whether the penguins would lay eggs in them.

After two months, the results were in. The temperatures in the nests never rose above 32°C (90°F). And penguin families had moved into almost every one!

Over the next few years, scientists plan to place 5,000 nests in the penguin colonies. Malan hopes the new nests will help the birds make a comeback. “I think we’ve got a good shot,” she says.

In January 2018, the scientists set up 200 artificial nests in African penguin colonies. They put thermometers inside. Then they measured the temperature. They watched and waited. They wanted to see if the penguins would lay eggs in them.

The results came in after two months. The temperatures in the nests never rose above 32°C (90°F). Penguin families had moved into almost every one!

Scientists plan to place 5,000 nests in the penguin colonies. They will do this over the next few years. Malan hopes the new nests will help. She wants the birds to make a comeback. “I think we’ve got a good shot,” she says.