Macaroni penguins Jan 20, 2024

Macaroni penguins

How many kinds of penguins can you name? Today"s snapshot features agile macaroni penguins swimming in the plankton-rich waters of the Drake Passage in Chile. These charming creatures are just one of 18 different species of penguin found in the Southern Hemisphere and can be recognised by their peculiar amber crests and prominent orange beak. Macaroni penguins gather in foraging groups, but males can be aggressive towards each other. To show passivity and avoid a fight, individuals often ease through colonies with their heads tucked down to their chests. Despite being beloved by us humans, penguins are threatened by reduced food availability, errant fishing nets and the profound impact of climate change on their habitat, sea ice.

© Paul Souders/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jan 20, 2026Gentoo penguin, Petermann Island, Antarctica

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 11, 2026Great Barrier Reef from above, Queensland, Australia
Dec 3, 2024Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Sep 15, 2024Varenna on Lake Como, Italy
Sep 9, 2025Eurasian red squirrel
Jun 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Oct 14, 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
May 27, 2024Baia del Silenzio in Sestri Levante, Italy
Aug 18, 2024Huntington Beach Pier, California, USA
Mar 16, 2026Cable car and Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dec 15, 2023SantaPark, Lapland, Finland
Jan 22, 2024Walton Lighthouse, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Sep 2, 2025Camel thorn trees, Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia
Dec 7, 2025A pine forest in Alsace, France
Sep 26, 2023Venice Skatepark, Los Angeles, California, USA
Oct 14, 2024Coco Beach, Goa, India
July 8, 2026Sunrise at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Dec 4, 2024Male white rhinoceroses
May 2, 2025Striated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, Brazil
June 6, 2026Natchez Trace Parkway, Tupelo, Mississippi, United States
Oct 31, 2023Pumpkins and squashes
Jun 23, 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh
Aug 31, 2024Sahara, Algeria
Jul 21, 2025Staghorn coral in shallow ocean
June 9, 2026Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy
Oct 26, 2025Pumpkin farm, North Carolina
May 6, 2025An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
Oct 29, 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Sep 8, 2024Abbey of Saint-Martin-du-Canigou
May 5, 2026Field of blue agave near Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico