Which penguin species are endangered?
Six of the 19 living penguin species sit at Endangered or worse. The African penguin is Critically Endangered — the first penguin to reach the highest risk category, with breeding numbers down roughly 97% from historical levels. Endangered: the emperor penguin (uplisted in April 2026), the Galapagos penguin (around 1,200 individuals, the rarest of all), the yellow-eyed penguin (around 3,400), the erect-crested penguin, and the northern rockhopper penguin. A further six are Vulnerable, so 12 of 19 species — about 63% — face elevated extinction risk.
Related Species
Profiles connected to this answer — continue into habitat, diet, and conservation detail.
African Penguin
Spheniscus demersus
Emperor Penguin
Aptenodytes forsteri
Galapagos Penguin
Spheniscus mendiculus
Yellow-eyed Penguin
Megadyptes antipodes
Northern Rockhopper Penguin
Eudyptes moseleyi
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Where this answer comes from
Reference bodies behind our conservation answers. Links last checked August 5, 2026.
- IUCN Red List - Global conservation assessments and extinction-risk categories.
- BirdLife Data Zone - Species accounts, distribution, and population summaries.
- SANCCOB - African penguin rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation context.
- New Zealand Department of Conservation Penguins Hub - New Zealand penguin species, threats, and habitat guidance.