Galápagos penguin

Spheniscus mendiculus

The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is a bird found in Ecuador. Rocky shores of the Galápagos Islands, near the equator. It eats fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Endangered.

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Scientific name	Spheniscus mendiculus
Region	South America
Found in	Ecuador

🏡 Where the Galápagos penguin lives

Rocky shores of the Galápagos Islands, near the equator.

🍽️ What it eats

🐟 Fish100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

EndangeredVery few are left in the wild.

💡 It is the only penguin that lives right on the equator, in the Galápagos.

Hear the Galápagos penguin

Recorded by Jesse Fagan (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC383122. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Galápagos penguin

Where does the Galápagos penguin live?

The Galápagos penguin lives in Ecuador. Rocky shores of the Galápagos Islands, near the equator.

What does the Galápagos penguin eat?

fish (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Galápagos penguin endangered?

Very few are left in the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Endangered.

More birds from South America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.