There are 17 species of penguins and they are all protected, meaning they cannot be hunted legally, or have their eggs collected. Despite this protection, penguin populations are decreasing, and in some areas they have decreased as much as 80%, but not all are endangered yet.

Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the penguin which is most at risk is the Galapagos penguin. It is listed as endangered, and this essentially means it is in danger of extinction within the foreseeable future throughmost of its range.

Currently, the African penguin is also under consideration for being added to this endangered species list.

The Southern Rockhopper is under consideration for being included on the threatened list.

Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Humboldtpenguin is also listed as endangered.

Under the IUCN listing, the Erect Crested penguin and the Yellow eyed penguin are listed as endangered.

The status of the other penguins is as follows:

Gentoo penguin - Near threatened

Magellanic penguin - Near threatened

Rockhopper penguin - Vulnerable (population declining)

Macaroni penguin - Vulnerable (population declining)

Fiordland crested penguin - Vulnerable (population declining)

Snares Island penguin - Vulnerable (population small but currently stable)

Royal penguin - (Vulnerable - population still recovering from being exploited in the past)

Emperor penguin - Least concern (population stable)

King penguin - Least concern (population stable or increasing)

Adelie penguin - Least concern (population increasing in some regions, decreasing in others)

Chinstrap penguin - Least concern

Fairy penguin - Least concern

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