The world's largest king penguin colony has shrunk nearly 90 percent since the 1980s, research suggests.
Only 60,000 penguin pairs remain, down from half a million pairs recorded in the 1980s. Photo: 123rf
Aerial and satellite images show breeding pair numbers have fallen 88 percent in the last three decades, an article in the journal Antarctic Science says.
The colony lies on the France's uninhabited Île aux Cochons between Africa and Antarctica in the Indian Ocean.
Researchers said there was no clear reason for the decline.
The paper said that only 60,000 penguin pairs remain in photos taken in 2015 and 2017, down from half a million pairs recorded in the 1980s.
Second only to the emperor penguin in size, the king penguin breeds on the more temperate islands north of the Antarctic coast.
Research published in February said some of the birds populations could be at risk from climate change.
-BBC