Loss of habitat due to diminishing sea ice could reduce the emperor penguin population of Antarctica by as much as a third, a threat that has prompted scientists to call for endangered species status for the birds.

Publishing their findings in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers said that climate change is causing sea ice to melt, which is in turn decreasing the supply of krill, the emperor penguin's main food source, The Guardian reported. Sea ice houses the algae that make up the young krill's diet, making ice vital for the population of tiny crustaceans.

The study researchers, who analyzed observations of the colony at Terre Adelie in East Antarctica as well as satellite data from other colonies, are calling for a marine reserve to protect the emperor penguins.

"The population is declining. Unless something changes to stop that, the population will go into extinction," said study co-author Hal Caswell, senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, as quoted by The Guardian.

The study advocated that the 3-foot-tall penguins be sheltered under the 1973 Endangered Species Act, which already protects the polar bear.

A measure that would restrict tourism and fishing, designating a marine reserve would make large areas off-limits to fishing in order to reduce the strain on the krill population and boost available food for the penguins.

"Implementing a marine protected area in the Ross Sea could help buy time to avoid extinction and to put in place needed conservation and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies," Stephanie Jenouvrier, lead author and a scientist at Woods Hole, said in a statement.

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