List of Sphenisciformes by population

This is a list of Sphenisciformes species by global population. While numbers are estimates, they have been made by experts in their fields.

Sphenisciformes (from the Latin for "wedge-shaped") is the taxonomic order to which penguins belong. The IOC World Bird List recognizes 19 species of Sphenisciformes.^[1] BirdLife International has assessed 18 species (95% of total species), all of which have had their population estimated. This list follows IUCN classifications for species names and taxonomy. Where IUCN classifications differ from other ornithological authorities, alternative names and taxonomies are noted.

A variety of methods are used for counting penguins, including the first census from space in April 2012, when imagery from Ikonos, QuickBird-2, and WorldView-2 satellites were used to count emperor penguins in Antarctica.^[2] Most maritime surveys use strip transect and distance sampling to measure penguin species density; this is then extrapolated over the animal's range.^[3] The Galapagos penguin has been counted annually since 1961 by the Galápagos National Park Service.^[4] For more information on how these estimates were ascertained, see Wikipedia's articles on population biology and population ecology.

Extinct species from this order include the Waitaha penguin, which went extinct between 1300–1500 (soon after the Polynesian arrival to New Zealand)^[5], and the Chatham penguin, which is only known through subfossils; however, an extant individual may have been kept in captivity by researchers sometime between 1867 and 1872.^[6]

Species by global population

Common name	Binomial name	Population	Status	Trend	Notes
Galapagos penguin	Spheniscus mendiculus	1,200^[7]	EN^[7]	^[7]
Yellow-eyed penguin	Megadyptes antipodes	2,600-3,000^[8]	EN^[8]	^[8]
Fiordland penguin	Eudyptes pachyrhynchus	12,500-50,000^[9]	VU^[9]	^[9]
African penguin	Spheniscus demersus	19,800^[10]	CR^[10]	^[10]	Number of total adult birds is estimated to be 31,680.^[10]
Humboldt penguin	Spheniscus humboldti	23,800^[11]	VU^[11]	^[11]	Values is considered the maximum estimate for breeding population.^[11]
Snares penguin	Eudyptes robustus	63,000^[12]	VU^[12]	^[12]
Erect-crested penguin	Eudyptes sclateri	150,000^[13]	EN^[13]	^[13]	Population breeds in two locations: the Bounty Islands (26,000 pairs), & the Antipodes Islands (34,226 pairs).^[13]
Northern rockhopper penguin	Eudyptes moseleyi	413,700^[14]	EN^[14]	^[14]
Little penguin	Eudyptula minor	469,760^[15]	LC^[15]	^[15]
Emperor penguin	Aptenodytes forsteri	513,000^[16]	NT^[16]	^[16]	Estimate based on an approximate 256,500 breeding pairs counted from satellite images.^[16]
Gentoo penguin	Pygoscelis papua	774,000^[17]	LC^[17]	^[17]
Royal penguin	Eudyptes schlegeli	1,340,000-1,660,000^[18]	LC^[18]	?^[18]	Best estimate for mature individuals is 1.5 million individuals.
King penguin	Aptenodytes patagonicus	2,168,640-2,456,640^[19]	LC^[19]	^[19]	Values are an estimate for mature individuals; IUCN reports an estimated "1.1 million annual breeding pairs (range 1,084,320-1,228,320)."^[19]
Magellanic penguin	Spheniscus magellanicus	2,200,000-3,200,000^[20]	LC^[20]	^[20]
Southern rockhopper penguin (Western rockhopper penguin)	Eudyptes chrysocome	2,500,000^[21]	VU^[21]	^[21]	IOC taxonomic guidance splits Eastern rockhopper penguin into its own species from this species.^[1] IUCN/BirdLife International currently retain both species within E. chrysocome.^[22]
Chinstrap penguin	Pygoscelis antarcticus	8,000,000^[23]	LC^[23]	^[23]
Adélie penguin	Pygoscelis adeliae	10,000,000^[24]	LC^[24]	^[24]
Macaroni penguin	Eudyptes chrysolophus	12,600,000^[25]	VU^[25]	^[25]	Population is estimated at 6.3 million breeding pairs; main population centres at Isles Crozet (2.2 million pairs, with 1 million on Île des Pingouins), Heard Island (1 million pairs), Kerguelen (1.8 million pairs), & South Georgia (1 million pairs).^[25]