Scientists discover a bizarre paradox among endangered penguins

Researchers from the University of Otago found sharply different population trends among endangered erect-crested penguins in New Zealand’s Bounty and Antipodes Islands. Drone surveys conducted from 2022 to 2024 counted about 27,800 breeding pairs on the tiny Bounty Islands and 29,800 on the much larger Antipodes Islands. One population has remained stable for at least 25 years, while the other has declined by more than 40% over three decades.