The Australasian Antarctic Expedition 2013-2014 claimed that a huge iceberg landlocked an entire colony of Adelie penguins in Antarctic and took lives of 150,000 of them. But, some critics have challenged the study led by Christopher Turney, a professor of climate science at Australia’s University of South Wales (UNSW). They said that the penguins may have decided to live their place in search of happier hunting grounds.

Turney’s team, which included researchers from Climate Change Research Centre of the UNSW and New Zealand’s West Coast Penguin Trust, published the study in journal Antarctic Science. They reported that over 150,000 Adelie penguins of a single colony died after a giant iceberg was grounded about five years ago in Antarctica.

The study stated that the B09B iceberg forced Adelie penguins to travel a long distance in search of food and other sources of life. Many of the penguins left their original grounds, while about 5,520 pairs decided to stay at Cape Denison. According to the researchers, during their expedition to Antarctic, they noted many abandoned eggs. They also saw the ground littered with the freeze-dried carcasses. The researchers predicted the evidence they found suggest that the entire Adelie penguins could demolish in next two decades, and the culprit will be the B09B iceberg.

However, the study also admitted that abandoned Adelie penguin colony sites and common. Michelle LaRue, a penguin population expert from the University of Minnesota, said, “Just becasue there are a lot fewer birds observed doesn't automatically mean the ones that were there before have perished. They easily could have moved elsewhere, which would make sense if nearby colonies are thriving.”

A study in 2013 suggested that climate change is benefiting Adelie penguins on Beaufort Island in Antarctica. The study also showed the bird’s population has increased more than 84% in last 50 years.