Do penguins fall over when watching aircraft flying overhead?

There is a long-standing myth that Antarctic penguins flip over at the sound of passing planes. Unable to right themselves, they risk dying a terrible death.

Back in 1982, British pilots in the Falklands allegedly observed the phenomenon as they flew over penguin colonies. They said the birds would topple over as they lifted their heads to watch the planes fly by, then penguins were left on their backs by the thousands, unable to right themselves.


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But in 2001 scientists concluded that they wobbled but didn't fall down.

Now in 2011 a team from Russia Today have gone to great lengths to verify the story once and for all.