NEWS SUMMARY
Scientists discovered new emperor penguin moulting sites in Antarctica using satellite images from previous years. During moulting, emperor penguins replace their old waterproof feathers with new ones. Scientists studied images from the past seven years and found brown patches on the ice where penguins had left their old feathers.
Between 2022 and 2024, Antarctic sea ice decreased a lot and broke up before the penguins could grow new, waterproof feathers. Without these feathers to protect them, many of them probably did not survive. In 2025, sea ice conditions were better for emperor penguins, but scientists saw only a small number of groups at the moulting sites. This may mean that the population has decreased, or that emperor penguins have moved to new moulting sites that scientists have not yet found.
Source: British Antarctic Survey
