Dozens of Magellan penguins that should be in the colder waters of Argentina's Patagonia region have found themselves off-course.

Three of them were spotted in the waters off Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema beach, after several others were rescued from Brazil's shores.

Many of the birds have already been taken to a rehab centre in Rio and are waiting on being shipped back to their natural habitat.

Rescuers have been struggling to capture the stranded birds for over a week and some penguins are in poor health after their long journey from the colder waters of the south.

Experts say it is common for younger penguins to get lost while searching for food in small packs.