All members of this genus lay eggs and raise their young in nests situated in burrows or in natural depressions in the earth.

[5][6] The genus name Spheniscus is derived from the Ancient Greek word σφήν (sphẽn) meaning "wedge" and is a reference to the animal's thin, wedge-shaped flippers.

Scientists believe that the genus Spheniscus originated in South America, even though the oldest fossils assigned to the taxon are from Antarctica.

Humboldt and Magellanic penguins are partially sympatric, since their ranges overlap in southern Chile.

[18] Vocal individuality has evolved in banded penguins due to their large social group sizes.

[19] Contact calls are frequently used by banded penguins to form large flocks when foraging at sea.

[4] Typically, banded penguins vocalize agonistic calls when defending a territory, such as their nest, against conspecifics.

[4] They are composed of a sequence of distinct acoustic syllables that combine to form a complete phrase and are often displayed during their breeding season.

This theory can be used to investigate how acoustic variation and individuality within a set of closely related species is attributed to distinct morphological differences in their vocal organs.