penguin

The new estimation is the first to take into account nonbreedingpenguins; previous population counts focused only on breeding pairs. 

"Nonbreeding birds are harder to count because they are out, foraging at sea, rather than nesting in colonies on land," Louise Emmerson, a seabird ecologist with the Australian Antarctic Division of the Australian government's Department of the Environment and Energy, said in a statement. "However, our study in East Antarctica has shown that nonbreeding Adélie penguins may be as, or more, abundant than the breeders. These birds are an important reservoir of future breeders, and estimating their numbers ensures we better understand the entire population's foraging needs."

Based on the new estimation of 5.9 million Adélie penguins in East Antarctica, the global population of this species (Pygoscelis adeliae) is likely 14 million to 16 million birds, the researchers said. (This species lives along Antarctica's entire coast and on its small islands.)