Penguin feathers record migration route

Penguin feathers record migration route

How do you trace where a penguin has swum across the vastness of the Southern Ocean?
The surprising answer is from the chemistry of a single tail feather.

Incredibly, specific compounds in penguin feather proteins allow scientists to track the birds’ migration over many hundreds of kilometres.

The plumage records a kind of "chemical passport" stamped with a signature of the locations visited.

Dr Michael Polito, of Louisiana State University, US, told BBC News: "You can say: 'penguins are where they eat,' because a geochemical signature of their wintering area is imprinted into their feathers."
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