Photographer Yves Adams had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter this November when he landed at St Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean. A colleague alerted him to the presence of a striking, all-black king penguin amidst the colony.
Yves, who previously photographed a rare yellow penguin, rushed to the beach to capture images of the melanistic penguin before it disappeared into the vast colony.
Unlike the typical black-and-white king penguins, this rare bird had a completely black belly and darker neck feathers, which appeared more black than the usual vibrant yellow.
Yves, from Ghent, Belgium, shared his excitement: "I was thrilled to capture this moment. It was my expedition leader who first spotted the bird while I was leading a tour. When I returned, she told me about it, and I couldn’t wait to find it."
He continued: "The penguin stood out as one of hundreds of thousands in the colony with this unique colour morph. I managed to photograph it before it merged with the others. You don’t want to disturb the colony, so I was lucky to get those isolated shots."
Melanism, a rare genetic mutation causing an overproduction of melanin, is responsible for the penguin’s all-black appearance. While melanistic birds and mammals are known in other species, such occurrences in penguins are exceedingly rare. The condition makes the penguins more visible to predators, as their usual white bellies help them camouflage in the water.
Yves was leading an expedition for Starling Reizen when this incredible photographic opportunity arose. He said: "I don’t think anyone has ever seen an all-black king penguin like this before. I’ve heard of partial melanistic penguins, but this one was pure black, with a metallic green sheen on its neck and belly when viewed up close."
The bird was fully accepted by the other penguins in the colony, showing no size or behavioural differences.
Yves added:"The season has just begun, and we were only the third boat to land there. I hope others get a chance to see this magnificent penguin too."
The ultra-rare melanistic penguin remains an extraordinary example of nature’s endless variety and beauty.