A black and white Torda penguin was seen on Monday by AFP in Ajaccio, along the beach of St François, in the city center, a presence so close to the coast that questions the experts.
"For a week and a half, we have been notified of four individuals, two alive and two dead, in Corsica, the population is very present this year," Amandine Pericard, head of the wildlife care center, told AFP. U Pettirossu, the only center of this type in Corsica.
Unusual influx
These are Torda penguins (also called Little penguin and whose scientific name is Alca torda), which have been seen in the port of Bastia, in Cargèse (Corse-du-Sud), near Ajaccio and in St- Florent (Haute-Corse), she said.
“There is a wintering population of Torda penguins in the Mediterranean Sea but this year there are quite a few individuals who have come closer to the coast, it is quite exceptional”, she underlined.
This unusual influx is indeed observed from Spain to the Alpes-Maritimes via Corsica.
“These pelagic (deep sea) birds normally only come ashore to breed.
The rest of the time, they are adept at storms, spray, the high seas, so it's quite surprising to see them here," Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the Ligue pour la protection, told AFP. birds.
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Ajaccio
Corsica
Paca
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