Penguins by the Numbers
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Penguin Chick
It seems the Emperor Penguin is the star of all of our favorite movies and photos (although with a face like this, it’s not hard to understand why). But in this gallery, we tell you everything you want to know about your favorite penguin species as well as the rare penguins you may not have heard of before. Do the yellow-eyed, little blue, and macaroni penguins ring a bell? If not, click on to discover 14 of the most fascinating, rare, and adorable penguin species—all arranged by height.
—Captions by Jodi Kendall -
Emperor Penguin
Height: 36-44 inches standing
The Emperor penguin is the largest of all penguin species, standing at up to 44 inches tall and weighing as much as 80 pounds. About 40 colonies currently live in one of the harshest, coldest environments on the planet—Antarctica—where air temperatures can plummet to minus 76°F.
While they've been known to slide across the ice sheets on their stomachs, emperors are most at home in the water. They're skilled swimmers, having the ability to dive 1,850 feet below the water's surface—deeper than any other bird species. Using their wings as propellers, emperors can "fly" through the ocean at up to 11 feet per second, staying underwater for up to 22 minutes per dive.
Emperor penguins are the only animal species that breeds during the severe Antarctic winter. After laying a single egg, the female penguin transfers it to her mate and retreats to the sea to feed on fish, krill, and squid. But to reach the open ocean, many emperors must survive a difficult journey across some 50 miles of ice. As a flightless bird species that shares the distinct, clumsy waddle of other penguins, traveling over packed ice can be a long, exhausting ordeal.
With no nesting resources on the ice sheets, male emperors incubate the egg on top of their feet and within a loose abdominal fold of skin. Males protect the egg during the absence of their mates, a duration of time that can extend to two months. The male penguin fasts during courtship, mating, and incubating, surviving off his body fat reserves. He can lose up to 45 percent of his body weight during this time. One of the ways that male emperor penguins survive their harsh habitat—and protect incubating eggs—is by huddling with the colony. The penguins pack together, shuffling and rotating in two- to four-inch steps about every minute, achieving warmth through the density of their bodies.
By the time the female penguins return from sea, the chicks will have hatched. The males and females swap parenting duties and the exhausted males go in search of food themselves. Emperor penguins will eat ice to cool and hydrate, and they will even swallow rocks to help aid digestion.
Emperor penguins are well equipped to handle their extreme environment. They have four layers of feathers and the ability to store body fat to serve as insulation from the cold. Emperors also circulate their body heat through their blood, which cools as it travels through the circulatory system toward the feet, bill, and wings, and then warms up again on its way back to the pumping heart. -
King Penguin
Height: 37 inches standing
Regions: Native to the following areas: Argentina, Chile, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), French Southern Territories, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands. Vagrant to the following areas: Antarctica, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Saint Helena, South Africa, and Uruguay
Many years ago, king penguins suffered due to commercial hunting for their eggs, oil, feathers, and blubber. But now, as the international population is protected by law, there may be as many as two million king penguin breeding pairs on the planet.
King penguins are the second largest penguin species, sometimes even confused with emperors because of their size and coloring. Also, like emperor penguins, king penguins do not build nests for their eggs.
King penguins have particularly interesting mating behaviors. Males have an extravagant courtship ritual during which they attempt to woo mates by calling out a trumpet-like song, tossing their heads forward and back, and even bowing.
Kings are carnivorous birds, but they only eat every two weeks or so. Between their hunting trips, these penguins can lose up to 50 percent of their body weight. When hunger strikes, they retreat to the sea to forage for squid and small fish. During the cold winter months, king penguins must take longer, deeper dives in search of food, sometimes staying beneath the surface for over an hour at a time.
Biologists often study penguins because the species is sensitive to global warming. But a relatively new concern has arisen. Metal flipper bands—which are attached to a king penguin's wing to track migration, reproductive behaviors, and survival rates—may actually harm the birds. Some conservationists believe that banded birds have a disadvantage in the water, requiring longer, slower foraging trips. One study found that a band's material, shape, and fit, in combination with the penguin species, determine whether or not the bands will negatively affect the individual penguin. This penguin conservation issue is an ongoing area of research. -
Gentoo Penguin
Height: 30-35 inches standing
Region: Antarctica
A near-threatened species that lives only in Antarctica, gentoo penguins are instantly recognizable by the white band that runs around the top of their heads from eye to eye. Their feet and bills are bright orange-red in color.
Gentoos live in relatively small colonies with about 100 breeding pairs. If the penguin group grows too large, the colony breaks apart into smaller units. Each year, gentoo penguins return to the same sandy or rocky breeding beaches, but they've been known to shift to another area if the guano becomes too bothersome. These penguins use a variety of resources to build nests—like grass, sticks, and feathers—and breed every October.
On land, gentoos are slowpokes, sticking out their tails and sweeping them back and forth when they waddle. They're relatively safe from predation but must guard their eggs and chicks from birds of prey, such as skuas and seabirds.
In the water, these penguins are swift and graceful—the fastest swimmers of all penguin species. Gentoos forage for food close to the rocky coastline, sometimes diving over 400 times per day to hunt for squid, fish, and crustaceans.
The global population of gentoo penguins is estimated at 314,000. At present, overfishing seems to be the greatest threat to their survival. -
Chinstrap Penguin
Height: 28-30 inches standing
Region: Antarctic, sub-Antarctic, South Atlantic Ocean
Chinstrap penguins got their moniker from the thin stripe of black feathers that stretches from beneath their chins to their ears. They live in enormous rookeries of over 100,000 mating pairs, thriving in a wide area that includes the Antarctic, sub-Antarctic, and several areas within the South Atlantic Ocean. Although chinstraps are not migratory birds, they are known to move north to pack ice during the winter months.
There may be as many as 15 million chinstrap penguins on the planet, making them the second most common type of penguin. These medium-sized birds are excellent climbers, and they actually prefer to breed on rocky terrain, sloped beaches, and cliff edges. Chinstraps can weigh as much as nine pounds and stand two feet tall.
Chinstraps are most like gentoo and Adélie penguins because they all share a "brush-like" tail characteristic. Chinstrap penguins are known to toboggan across the ice on their bellies, use their flippers as paddles in the water, and climb the rocky slopes of their habitat with all four limbs.
When they hunt, chinstrap penguins usually forage near the ice, but on occasion they'll travel farther out to sea. Like most penguin species, chinstraps feed on krill, crustaceans, and small fish. They hunt during both day and night. While chinstraps can dive to depths of 230 feet, most dives are just half a minute in length. When chinstrap penguins are in the water, the leopard seal is their main predator. While on land, chicks and eggs are vulnerable to birds of prey.
Many chinstraps form such a close attachment to their mates that they will return to the nesting site with the same mate year after year. A female chinstrap will lay two eggs in the wintertime. She and her mate will take turns incubating the eggs for just over a month. After the chicks hatch, they fledge in late February or early March. While some penguin species give more food to the stronger of their two chicks, chinstraps feed their chicks equally. -
Macaroni Penguin
Height: 28 inches standing
Region: Circumpolar – islands in the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters
Macaroni penguins form such a close bond with their mates that they can identify a mate's voice in a crowded colony. Across the globe, most macaroni penguin populations have declined at least 20 percent in the last three decades. They are currently listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List, although the current macaroni population remains high at nine million breeding pairs. They are the most common type of penguin on the planet.
Overfishing and the harvesting of krill, oil spills, and a sensitivity to ocean warming threaten the species. Many of their island breeding spots make them vulnerable to cat, gull, and rat predation. In the water, macaroni penguins are hunted by orcas, leopard seals, and sea lions.
These penguins are a monogamous species. Females reach sexual maturity about a year or so earlier than males. Like rocky penguins, macaroni penguins breed in densely packed colonies on sloped, rocky coasts. Macaroni penguins have 50 known breeding sites on islands in the sub-Antarctic. The breeding pair builds a simple nest on a patch of vegetation or on the ground, lining it with tiny rocks or grass shoots. The female lays two eggs, the second of which is always larger. For just over a month, the mating pair takes turns incubating and hunting. Once the chicks hatch, they are dependent upon their father for protection while the mother forages for food.
During the rest of the year, it's thought that macaroni penguins are pelagic, staying out in the Antarctic waters. Much of their lives in the open ocean remain a mystery. As a whole, macaroni penguins may eat as much as four million tons of krill annually. Depending on the exact population, their foraging trips may follow a different diving pattern.
Adult macaroni penguins have a distinguishing crest of gold-yellow feathers extending from their foreheads. Most of their bodies are black and white in color, but they display pink feet, oversize orange bills, and red eyes. -
African Penguin
Height: 25-27 inches standing
Region: Coast and islands of southern Africa
African penguins are also called jackass or black-footed penguins. These names come from their ability to make a donkey-like braying sound, the color of their feet, and the location of their habitat. They have a black upper body and mostly white underbellies. It's easy to recognize an African penguin by looking for the U-shaped white stripe of feathers that loops around the eye and down to the chin and beak.
Like many penguins, the African species returns to the same breeding areas each year, but they are the only penguins that breed on the African continent. This species is careful to avoid too much sunshine, often building their nests in areas where there's protection from the sun's bright rays. Females usually lay two eggs, and the mating pair shares incubation responsibilities. When the chicks hatch, they are left alone in large groups so the parents can hunt for food and regain their strength.
On land, African penguins are mostly sedentary creatures. They can frequently be observed preening their bodies, and they molt their feathers on an annual basis. Like all penguins, their waxy feathers help them regulate body temperature and stay dry. Small muscles at the bottom of each feather keep their plumage close against their bodies while in the water.
When an African penguin goes to hunt, each foraging dive usually lasts less than three minutes in length. They can swim up to 40 miles during a hunt, diving to depths of up to 196 feet. Small fish—like sardines and anchovies—are their primary food source.
African penguins are an endangered species. Their global population has plummeted to just 10 percent of what it was in the early 1900s. These medium-size birds have been victim to oil spills, overfishing, competition for breeding zones, and overcollection of eggs. Like all penguin species, African penguins are protected by law. -
Snares Island Penguin
Height: 25 inches standing
Region: Snares Islands, south of New Zealand
The Snares Island penguin has several names—Snares, Snares Crested, and Snares Island—all referring to the limited zone where they breed. These penguins have a distinct bushy yellow crest, snow-white belly, and bluish-black upper body. Males have thicker bills than their female counterparts.
Snares Island penguins look similar to three other types of penguins—the rockhopper, Fiordland-crested, and erect-crested species—especially when in water. But Snares Island penguins can be distinguished by a few defining characteristics. They lack white plumage tufts on their cheeks, their crests are not erect, and their crests are not as big or elaborate as other penguins.
Snares Island penguins prefer to nest along mud-covered, wooded areas and on rocky, sloped coasts in a colony of up to 200 breeding pairs. They reach sexual maturity around the age of six, and females will lay two eggs each fall. Snares Island penguins can grow to be 25 inches tall, weigh as much as 7 pounds, and live up to 20 years.
It's estimated that the global population of Snares Island penguins is about 46,000. They are especially susceptible to human and natural influences—such as squid fishing, climate change, and redistribution of prey species—due to their limited range and breeding areas. Snares Island penguins have been listed as a vulnerable species since 1994. -
Adélie Penguin
Height: 18-24 inches standing
Region: Antarctica
The Adélie penguin was named after the wife of a French Antarctic explorer named Dumont d'Urville. These birds live up to 20 years in the wild, top out at 12 pounds in weight, and can reach 2 feet in height.
Adélie penguins have black-and-white tuxedo coloring that offers excellent camouflage from predators while swimming. From below, white bellies help them blend in with the water's surface and sky. From above, their black backs resemble the darkness of the ocean.
In general, Adélie penguins hunt for tiny krill, fish, and squid within 300 feet below the water's surface. But these animals are capable of diving down to 575 feet in search of quarry. Their sleek body shape, waterproof feathers, and paddle-like wings help torpedo their bodies gracefully and swiftly through the water. Their solid bones keep them submerged. Adélies will sometimes travel 185 miles round-trip just to feed. They've been observed leaping in and out of the ocean to catch a breath of air and jumping from the water to land on the edge of pack ice.
Adélie penguins take to the shoreline every October to breed during the brief Antarctic springtime. They prefer the rocky beaches of the Antarctic, where they build nests and line them with rocks—they are even known to steal stones from nearby nests. The Adélie female lays a pair of eggs and she takes turns with her mate to incubate and protect them. When they hatch, the chicks are covered in a bluish-hued soft down, which helps keep them warm until their mature, waterproof feathers grow in. -
Humboldt Penguin
Height: 18-24 inches standing
Region: West coast of South America (Peru, northern Chile)
The Humboldt penguin is the most threatened of all penguin species. Unlike emperor, Adélie, and other cold-weather penguins, Humboldts live in a warm climate. This endangered species breeds all year on the rocky shorelines of the west coast of South America. These birds get their name from the Humboldt Current that passes through this zone.
Humboldts look different from other penguins because of the patches of pink coloring around their faces, feet, and wings. They max out at nine pounds in weight and two feet in height. Like all penguin species, Humboldts have a special gland that removes saltwater from their bodies. They can also see quite well underwater due to a transparent eyelid that protects their eyeballs and serves as "goggles" while swimming.
Humboldt penguins dig quite elaborate nests in bird droppings or rocky crevices. They line nests with all sorts of things like stones, twigs, and fish bones. Although female Humboldt penguins lay a pair of white eggs, usually only one survives.
There are less than 10,000 Humboldt penguins left on the planet. Commercial harvesting of guano negatively affects their breeding and nest-building behaviors, overfishing in their native waters reduces available prey populations, and global warming increases ocean temperatures. By some estimates, this penguin species could be extinct by the turn of the century if current breeding trends continue. -
Rockhopper Penguin
Height: 18-23 inches standing
There are two rockhopper penguin subspecies: southern and northern. These penguins are among the smallest in the world, growing to less than two feet in height and topping off at six-and-a-half pounds.
Rockhoppers have an average lifespan of ten years. Adults can be identified by their red eyes, pink feet and legs, white bellies, and spiky yellow crests. Opportunistic feeders, these penguins often forage with a group in shallow waters, feeding on squid, octopus, krill, small fish, and crustaceans.
Rockhoppers are known to be aggressive towards humans, birds, and other potential predators, defending themselves (and their incubating eggs) by furious pecking. But rockhoppers have a playful side, and they've been observed leaping from the water to belly flop on the shoreline.
These small penguins congregate in massive, noisy breeding colonies, which can number up to 100,000 individual birds at just one site. Rockhoppers will sometimes return to the same nest and even search for the previous year's partner. Breeding pairs take turns feeding and caring for a pair of eggs.
Southern rockhoppers are currently classified as vulnerable, while the northern subspecies is endangered. Ongoing threats to these penguins include climate change, redistribution of prey, introduced predators, and oil spills. -
Magellanic Penguin
Height: 14-22 inches standing
Region: South America, both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines
Also known as Patagonian penguins, Magellanic penguins live in South America. While they have layers of insulating fat and waterproof plumage like all penguins, this species has also adapted to living in a warm climate. During the summer, they molt their feathers around their bills, pant, and lift their flippers to cool in the breeze. Magellanic penguins seek out shaded areas and cool burrows when building a nest.
Magellanic penguins are a noisy bunch and their call resembles the braying of a donkey. From September to February, they live in enormous colonies that can number 400,000 to breed and raise their young. Magellanic penguins are a monogamous species, staying with the same mate year after year, and pairs can often be seen preening one another. Both parents help incubate the egg and raise the chicks.
These medium-size penguins were named after the famous maritime explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who first discovered them in 1520. Magellanic penguins are a near-threatened species. Because of their inability to fly, they're more vulnerable to oil spills than other seabirds. It's estimated that over 40,000 Magellanic penguins die each year along Argentina's coastline as a direct result of oil pollution. Commercial fishing, prey availability, predation, global warming, and unregulated tourism also pose a threat to these birds. -
Galápagos Penguin
Height: 21 inches standing
Region: Galápagos and Isabela Islands
The endangered Galápagos penguin is the only penguin species that lives on the Equator. With a thin white stripe of feathers that stretches beneath the chin and black markings on the belly, the Galápagos penguin is sometimes confused with the Magellanic species. But Galápagos penguins live in the most northerly region of all penguins—the Galápagos and Isabela islands.
On warm afternoons, these penguins regulate their body temperature by lifting their flippers, panting, resting in the shade, and swimming in the cool ocean waters. When on land, Galápagos penguins are known to cover their feet to prevent sunburn. These penguins lack feathers at the base of the bill, around the eyes, and on the legs. They also molt twice a year.
Galápagos penguins nest at sea level with their lifelong mates. It's believed that they breed throughout the year, often taking advantage of time periods where there's an increased food supply.
These birds rely on the ocean currents to bring prey to their feeding areas. Two decades ago, over 70 percent of the Galápagos penguins perished because of El Niño. The species is now listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List, and populations are estimated at only 800 breeding pairs left. -
Yellow-Eyed Penguin
Height: 21 inches standing
Region: New Zealand, nearby islands
The yellow-eyed penguin could be the rarest penguin species in the world. The steel-colored yellow-eyed penguin weighs less than 20 pounds and grows up to 21 inches tall. The yellow-eyed penguin isn't as social as other penguins, preferring to breed in smaller, more spaced-out groups in coastal forests, but it forms close bonds with its mate. Once paired off, a yellow-eyed penguin will stay monogamous with its mate for life.
Yellow-eyed penguins molt their feathers once a year. During this three-week period, they stay on land until new feathers grow in, surviving off fat reserves. As many land predators have been introduced near their endemic breeding sites, yellow-eyed penguins often fall prey during molting season when they cannot retreat to the water. Chicks and eggs are also particularly vulnerable.
Although yellow-eyed penguins can live up to two decades in the wild, it's estimated that there are less than 1,600 breeding pairs left in their New Zealand range. Over the years, populations have suffered from a disappearing food supply, global warming, human disturbances, increased predation, and high chick mortality. -
Little Blue Penguin aka Fairy Penguin
Little blue penguins, also known as fairy penguins, were first described in the late 18th century. They are the smallest of the penguin species, standing only a foot tall and weighing an average of two pounds. With slate-blue feathers on the upper body and white underbellies, little blues look a bit different from their penguin relatives.
This bird species is known for their exceptional vocal abilities. They have a variety of calls they use to communicate during courtship, hunting, and territorial disputes. Little blues can swim to depths of over 190 feet, but they generally forage in more shallow waters.
Like most penguins, little blues return to the same breeding sites year after year. There are about half a million breeding pairs in New Zealand and southern Australia, primarily along coastlines where nests are built and burrowed into sand dunes, tree trunks, rocky shores, and nearby vegetation. A female's clutch is two eggs, and the mating pair shares parenting tasks.
While not an endangered species, these penguins have vulnerable populations. Natural predators—like sharks, fur seals, and gulls—are an ongoing threat to little blue penguins, and introduced predators have become an even greater concern over the years. Recently, some little blues fell victim to an oil spill and were fitted with wool sweaters to prevent feather preening and toxic oil ingestion. Other conservation initiatives include removing pesky land predators, protecting nesting habitats, and studying the effects of climate change.
