Lost penguins flown home by Brazilian air force

Hundreds of penguins have been returned to their native territory in the south Atlantic ocean by an air force plane after being found along Brazil's coast.

Every year penguins make their way north from the colder waters near to Patagonia in search of food.

But the numbers and distances the penguins have travelled this year have amazed the authorities. At least 1,000 birds are now said to have washed up on the coast of Brazil, some of which have died along the way.



Some are thought to have made a journey of more than 3,000km (1,860 miles) from the cold waters of Patagonia on the southern tip of South America.

Earlier this year the first reports of large numbers of penguins being found came in from southern Brazilian states such as Rio de Janeiro. Now they are even being discovered in the far north of the country.

Some experts have said that penguin migration is closely linked to their need for food, and that the unusual journey the penguins are making suggests something has gone wrong with their normal fish supply.