This display is most frequently seen and heard when a penguin has wandered into another’s territory.

At every feeding a volunteer records what each bird eats, gathering data which helps biologists monitor the well-being of each individual.

Whatever the reason, penguins have a knack for capturing our hearts.

Or perhaps it's the fact that they are highly social and form long-term bonds.

Based on major population declines (at least 90 percent over the 20th century), African penguins were designated as an endangered species in September 2010 by the IUCN and the USFWS.

In 1930, there were roughly a million of these charmers in their native West African habitat, but penguin biologists now estimate that there are only about 25,000 African penguin pairs remaining in the wild.