2007 Photo Contest, Nature, 3rd prize
Photographer

Maria Stenzel

National Geographic

23 January, 2006

Chinstrap penguins on an iceberg near Candlemas Island. Blue icebergs are older and more compressed than white ones, with little air left between the ice crystals. Every summer, millions of chinstrap penguins arrive on the remote islands to breed. The islands are uninhabited by humans, but are home to the largest penguin colony in the world. The penguins, which get their name from a distinctive black band under their heads, lay around two eggs that are incubated by both male and female. Chicks hatch after 35 days, and gain their adult plumage after around two months.

About the photographer

Maria Stenzel

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