Fifty Pence 2018 Magellanic 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 Magellanic Penguin.

The Mint says about it:
Pobjoy Mint is delighted to announce the release of the penultimate 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. Known as the penguin capital of the world, the Falkland Islands are home to more penguins than people making the Islands the best place to see these delightful birds in the wild.

The Magellanic penguin is a summer resident of the Falkland Islands returning to breed. They start arriving in early September and return to the same burrow they left the year before. The adults have conspicuous black and white bands on their heads, neck and breast. The breed is medium-sized and is differentiated by their black backs and white abdomens. They also feature two black bands across their chests with the lower band shaped like an upside-down horseshoe.

The coin features a head-shot of a Magellanic penguin shown in glorious colour (on the coloured version) which really highlights the distinctive circular markings on their heads.