Penguin feathers record migration route

The surprising answer is from the chemistry of a single tail feather. Incredibly, specific compounds in penguin feather proteins allow scientists to track the birds migration over many hundreds of kilometres. The plumage records a kind of "chemical passport" stamped with a signature of the locations visited. Dr Michael Polito, of Louisiana State University, US, told BBC News: "You can say: 'penguins are where they eat,' because a geochemical signature of their wintering area is imprinted into their feathers." Two species of penguin - Chinstraps and Adlies - are the focus of the study