Thousands of Magellanic penguins were seen along the shores of Argentina's Chubut province on Tuesday as the annual mating season began.

Footage shows the penguins nesting and performing courtship dances while new mothers and fathers are seen taking turns to incubate eggs and feed their chicks.

"Once we have the eggs, both parents are in charge of incubating the chicks," said park ranger Camila Benites. "If the female is incubating her eggs, the male will go to the sea to feed and maybe return in two to three days, and then they change roles."

Benites explained that once the mating season ends, the penguin couples separate before reuniting at the same nest the following year.

"The female will come to look for the same male, and then they will meet again when they reach land. When they are migrating, in the sea, each one is on their own," she said.

The annual meeting season draws hundreds of tourists from Argentina and abroad. Visitors described the experience as 'unforgettable'.

"The penguins are fascinating," a tourist said. "It feels very welcoming and very impressive."

"It is an unforgettable thing, and the mothers, when they shelter them, those nests that they form between the trees or among the plants, are wonderful," added a second.

The penguins will remain in Chubut until April. When the chicks are fully grown, they will travel to Brazil for the winter before returning to Argentina next September for the cycle to begin again.