My protest the killing of penguins: Photo: Penguins / Photo courtesy Trevor Glass, coats RSPB / rockhopper penguins Oil North following the oil spill this month on the island of nightingale. Penguins breed in colonies, which can be situated at sea level, on the cliff top, and sometimes within, the International Union for Conservation of Nature birds. Arriving in the colonies in late winter, the position in September, and chicks wean in December and January.