Penguin Species
The Fiordland crested penguin can be found along indented bays, also known as fjords, which are all along the coastline of New Zealand, and is the reason behind their name. Fiordland penguins are quite similar to Snares penguins. The total population has been estimated to be fewer than 1,000 breeding pairs. They stick to rainforest, and nest on their own, or in small colonies along the shoreline. The Fiordland penguin is much less tightknit than other species of penguin. The Fiordland penguin’s man predators are dogs, stoats, ferrets and cats, as well as human development as they embark on the penguin’s land and more. The Fiordland penguin will often migrate into the Tasman Sea, while some other penguins do not migrate at all.
The Fiordland penguin is very similar to the Snares Island penguin, as well as the Erect crested penguin. The Fiordland penguin’s distinguishing features include a yellow crest, close to the penguin’s bills, as well as black feathers splayed across its face, over top of the blue feathers which cover it’s face. The top half of the Fiordland penguin is black, while underneath, on its belly, is white.
The Fiordland penguin will nest together, in spread out groups, with rocky crevices for them to nest in, just close enough so that they can still see each other and know that they’re safe. The males go back to where they breed in the summer, leading to two eggs being laid in July. The adult penguins incubate the eggs for a little over a month before the parents take turns on the nest, while the other one goes out to collect food for the family. The egg is kept warm for 30 to 36 days with the male and the female taking turns on the nest in long 5 to 12 day shifts.
Just like when it comes to many other varieties of penguins, the first egg will usually not hatch, and if it does, it usually contains a much smaller chick inside, which will eventually die of starvation due to its weakness. This is kind of a way of making sure that one of the chicks will definitely be healthy.
The stronger chick is looked after by the two older Fiordland penguins, and fed by the female, and then looked after by the male for about a month or so. Following this, the Fiordland penguin parents will hunt for food, and continue feeding their baby together.
The Yellow-Eyed Penguin is actually the rarest of all penguins. The Yellow-Eyed Penguin is found in New Zealand, along the coast, as well as the southern islands. The Yellow-Eyed penguins are completely unique looking, and are unlike any other penguin. The yellow-eyed penguin’s population has gone down rapidly within the past few years. In order to deal with this, there has been a lot of recent legislation passed to deal with this, and slow down the loss of habitat.
The yellow-eyed penguins have yellow feathers on the top of their head. The yellow eyed penguin also has a yellow stripe running around their eye, which is the most distinguishing feature of the bird, hence it’s name. The yellow-eyed penguin also has grey and blue feathers across it’s black, with white on it’s chest, with pink feet, and red-purple bills. The younger yellow-eyed penguins have grey eyes, and don’t have their yellow eye band or feathers on their head. The chicks are also covered with a dark down feathers.
Usually, the yellow-eyed penguin breeds from the end of summer to the end of winter, and typically breed in the evening. During the fall, the two will lay eggs in their nests, which help them keep out of the sun, and to keep them protected from bad weather. The two adult yellow-eyed penguins will then incubate for about 40 days or so, watching the eggs equally. The parent yellow-eyed penguins will stay with the chicks while the other penguin in the pair goes to gather food for the group.
The yellow-eyed penguin spends all of it’s time in the sea, feeding, and hunting in the warm weather. They’re incredibly swimmers, and can dive over 400 feet in very little time. They can also travel over 20 miles from the shore. The yellow-eyed penguin often feeds on things like small fish like the opal fish, as well as sprat, aruhu, red cod as well as arrow squid, and some crustaceans.
The yellow-eyed penguin sticks to a nest that is far away, and more private, and mostly sticks to taller grasses. They prefer to nest in groups, while adult yellow-eyed penguin couples tend to nest on their own, out of sight of the other yellow-eyed penguin couples.
Even though the yellow-eyed penguin is a great swimmer, which usually lets them get away from their predators, they are still prey to seals, as well as sharks.
Rockhopper penguins are smaller penguins, which are also very aggressive, and are named as they hop from rock to rock, moving around their environment. The rockhoppers breed in colder, southern temperatures, including the Macquarie Island, the Falklands, Campbell Island, Tristan da Cunha, and the Antipodes. The rockhopper penguin’s popularity has gone down, bringing it to endangered status. On average, rockhopper penguins will for up to ten years or less.
Rockhoppers are recognizable by the signature crest feathers on their heads, with bright red bills, and tiny red eyes. Unlike other birds, both the males and females have the same coloring, while typically male birds are brighter and vibrant than the female birds. The male Rockhopper penguins are also still much larger when compared to the females. The top of the Rockhopper’s rather large head has spiky black feathers, as well as a thicker, squatter neck, a streamlined, thinner shape, a wedge-shaped tail, and flippers for wings.
Rockhoppers have webbed feet, and strong flippers that help them swim and dive after their prey. The rockhopper will dive after lantern fish, crustaceans, krill, and squid as well. Their adept jumping abilities allow them to leave and enter the ocean to return to their nests.
Rockhoppers tend to breed during the summer months, making rocky nests within boulders off the shoreline. Female Rockhoppers lay two eggs at a time, although the first egg that is laid will sometimes become lost, or not hatch at all. Both the males and females work to warm the eggs and keep them safe. By the time March rolls around, the eggs hatch.
The rockhopper colonies are usually very small when you compare them to other groups and varieties of penguins. The rockhopper is known for being a very loud bird, and they use their loud calls to mark where they will be nesting, who they will be mating with, and what they use to create their nests. They also use their voice to warn one another about impending threats and potential predators. The rockhopper penguins also express themselves by preening, bowing, waving their wings and flippers, and shaking their heads.
Some of the predators that the Rockhopper penguin needs to look out for include fur seals, leopard seals, as well as several varieties of sharks. Babies, as well as rockhopper eggs, need to look out for petrels, Kelp gulls, as well as skuas.