Ankara:A remote island in the South Sandwich Islands, previously home to the world's largest chinstrap penguin colony, has seen a dramatic decline of nearly two-thirds in its penguin population since 2011.

According to Anadolu Agency, a study led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) revealed that the chinstrap penguin numbers on Zavodovski Island have decreased by 63% from 2011 to 2025. The population has dropped from approximately 1.09 million breeding individuals to about 402,000, marking a loss of more than 680,000 penguins.

Researchers utilized various methods, including drone surveys, aerial photography, satellite data, and tracking devices, to monitor changes in the colony. The decline is attributed to climate-driven alterations in the Southern Ocean, which have affected the availability of Antarctic krill, the primary food source for chinstrap penguins.

Penguin ecologist Norman Ratcliffe from BAS noted that tracking data indicated the penguins tend to forage in cooler waters northwest of the island, where they typically find Antarctic krill, crucial to their diet.

The study's findings have prompted concerns about the species across the broader South Sandwich Islands, which host a significant portion of the global chinstrap penguin population. Researchers suggest that the rapid decline may warrant reassessing the conservation status of chinstrap penguins, currently categorized as "Least Concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.