The reserve of Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) at Punta Tombo is one of the biggest reproduction colonies in Argentina, with a population that reaches 175,000 couples. Here, the penguins are in their reproductive season between the months of September and April, during which time the reserve can be reached. The rest of the year it remains closed, precisely when the penguins are in their feeding areas, in the open sea, along the coast of the Patagonian Sea and the South of Brazil.

The penguin reserve has paths from which the penguins can be observed while they are nesting or walking from and towards the sea. This reserve has the peculiarity of being located on a red rocky coast with soft hills that roll into the sea, which gives it a unique beauty and distinguishes it greatly from the landscape of Península Valdés. Within the protected area, there are sites for tourist visits as well as off-limit areas in which control and research activities are performed.

The Magellanic penguins return to the colony to nest in September. At that time, the first animals and their mates can be seen as they look and compete for their nests. Eggs are laid in October, when almost all the animals are observed to be in their nests, alone or with their mates. Most of the couples lay two eggs, some lay one or three eggs. The little fledglings become independent and migrate in March. The eggs begin to hatch in November and end by mid December, which means a caring time of 40 days for each couple.

During the incubation period, the parents take turns looking after the nest. Their trips last two weeks at the beginning, but they become shorter as the birth gets closer. When the chicks are born and they need to be looked after, the feeding trips last less, 1 to 2 days, and the father and mother always take turns. In Punta Tombo, the chicks stay in the nests between 20 and 25 days alone and then form groups of chicks (créches). The spectacle of chicks moving in March is amazing, since thousands of animals can be observed on the coast, very close to the sea.