Seals and Sea Lions

Elephant Seals
Return to Islands in September. Pupping starts at the end of September and continues through October (Height of Pupping Season) and November. The largest breeding area in the Falkland Islands is Sea Lion Island.

Sea Lions
Pupping time end of December & January.

Penguins

Endemic Species:

Gentoo Penguins
Can be seen all year around in the Falkland Islands. Breeding starts in late September with egg laying in mid October. Incubation is around 33/34 days. Young Gentoo Penguins are fully moulted by late January and enter the sea late February/March.

Magellanic Penguins
Return to the Falkland Islands in mid September. Egg laying begins in mid October with incubation of around 38-41 days. Fledglings leave burrows in mid January. Adults leave area after moulting end of March beginning of April.

Rockhopper penguins
Males return in early October, females return 7-10 days later. Egg laying begins November with variations from East to West Falklands.Egg laying end of October beginning November, the young are fully moulted end of January and enter the seas, adults a little later they are all moulted and at sea from late March to mid April.

King Penguin
Incubation of Eggs is 55 days. King penguins rear their chicks for almost 1 year. They breed approximately twice every 3 years and inhabit the island all year round.

Birds

Black-browed Albatross – Return for breeding in mid September. Egg laying starts in mid October. One egg is laid with incubation of approximately 70 days. Fledglings leave the next in April.

Endemic Species:
Flightless Steamer Duck – Breeding commences from mid September to mid October. One of the two Endemic species. Falklands Flightless Steamer DuckTachyeres brachypterus.

Cobbs wren – Troglodytes cobbi

Endemic sub-species:
White tufted Grebe
Upland Goose – Egg laying early September/October – incubation 30 days and fully feathered in 9-10 weeks.
Black crowned night heron
Kelp Goose
Ground tyrant
Short-eared owl
Tussacbird
Black-throated finch
Long-tailed Meadowlark
Grass wren
Falklands pipit
Falklands thrush

Many of the Falklands birds lay their eggs in October/November and have young in December. For further information please contact Falkland Islands Holidays.

Whales

Large whales can be sighted off shore at the end of January and beginning of February.