Fifty Pence 2018 King Penguin, Coin from Falkland Islands - detailed information

The Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, uses the Falkland Islands Pound as its currency; it is a variation of the United Kingdom Pound Sterling and has always been pegged to it at par. Coins and banknotes of both currencies are used interchangeably on the islands, although the reverse is not true - Falkland Islands coins and notes are not legal tender in the United Kingdom.

Apart from the regular circulation coinage, the territory also issues a large number of Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) coins in the 50 pence denomination. Some of these are round, and some of them are seven-sided and have the same specifications as their United Kingdom counterpart.

This coin is part of the Falklands Penguins II 50p Series by the British Pobjoy Mint, and features the King Penguin.

The Mint says about it:
Following the release of the second coin in the new series of Falkland Island Penguin 50p coins, we are delighted to announce the release of the third coin of the new set of five coins featuring the five breeds of penguin that are resident on the Islands at some point during the course of the year.

The coin features a head shot of a King penguin shown in glorious colour (in the coloured version) which really highlights the broad cheek patch contrasting with surrounding dark feathers and yellow-orange colour at the top of the chest that they are known for. The king penguin is the second largest penguin species in the world with an overall population estimated at 1.2 million. In the Falkland Islands, there are more than 1,000 breeding adults and over 500 chicks are raised each year. Juveniles are covered in brown fluffy plumage and often appear larger than their parents. It is thought that the Falklands king penguin population expansion may be due to overcrowding further south at South Georgia.