Penguins

Welcome to our directory of Penguins

Penguins: Penguins are birds. They hunt fish, krill and squid.

Adélie : Chinstrap : Emperor: Gentoo : King : Macaroni : Magellanic

Adélie Penguins

Picture by Barbara.Wienecke

Live in the Antarctic. White body and black head and back. Black feet and flippers. White ring around the eye. They live and breed on islands and feed under the ice. They can only fast for a couple of days...If all goes well, the sea ice breaks out around the time the chicks hatch so that the parents can do quick turn-around feeding trips.) Sometimes 2 chicks per pair. Males get to their breeding colonies first, re-pebble their nests then court the females. Lay 2 eggs which they both incubate. Chicks hatch after 2 months and fed in relays. As the days get longer they feed more.

Chinstrap Penguins. So called because they have a thin white line under their chin. Black backs, white fronts including underside of fins. Black beak. Eat almost only Krill. 50 million chinstraps. Colonised Zabadofski island just off the Antarctic coast. It’s a hot, active volcano so is warm and host to 2 million chinstraps. (photo awaited <please>).

Emperor Penguin

Picture by Barbara.Wienecke

Found only in Antarctica only the emperors travel south in the Antarctic Winter. The deepest dive recorded so far was to 565 m or 0.35 miles which is below the night level. Most dives are 3-6 minutes hunting for their food, but dives have been recorded over 20 minutes. Eggs laid in early winter, in May. The mothers go to sea and don’t return until the Spring. They incubate their eggs for 65-75 days, brood their young for about 50 days and rear them to fledging in about 160 days. The emperor males do all the incubating and while they can't go and eat fish they eat snow to prevent dehydration. During the fiercest storms the males huddle together taking their turn on the windward side, most of the time they hang out in rather loose groups. The egg is positioned in a fold of skin protecting it from the elements.

When the sun eventually starts to rise the eggs hatch. This is when their mothers return with food to regurgitate for the chick. The winter increases the sea ice to walk over 30 miles. When the mother returns to feed their chick the father leaves to feed himself. They could be eaten by Leopard Seals or Killer Whales. For the next 5 months the parents alternate fishing and feeding their chicks. They make use of Weddel seal holes in the ice. The chicks get fed very infrequently (once every 2-3 weeks) and the adults can deliver only about 3 kg per time.

Under the ice is a busy world of krill and fish. Krill are eating algae and minerals in the new sun light. They gather in gigantic swarms larger than any other animal on earth. The winter storms are becoming more severe.

Gentoo Penguins

Picture by Barbara.Wienecke

Close relative of the Adélie penguin. Lives at the Antarctic peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. Small colonies. Usually don't leave their islands over winter and feed relatively close by. Females usually lay 2 eggs. They take about 105 days to rear their chicks.

King Penguins
Picture by Barbara.Wienecke South Georgia in the Antarctic is the home of 80,000 chicks. The 2^nd largest penguins are the Kings and breed here and are flourishing. 100 years ago they were nearly hunted to extinction but ok now. The chicks have a woolly coat and rearing takes longer than a year. The chicks mainly live off their fat for 3 months before the parent returns to feed it.
White front, black head, yellow blotch on throat. Flippers have a black back, white front. Black feet and tail. Eaten by bull elephant seals.

Macaroni Penguins. One of the "crested" penguins. Live mainly on sub-Antarctic islands. Noisy and numerous. Long Yellow feathers above the eye. Black back and flippers, pink feet and beak is dark orange-brown. Eat mainly krill.

Magellanic Penguin Found in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands/Malvinas. They are black with white lines running across their cheeks and down the length of their bodies. A pale red patch is above their eyes which is exposed featherless skin; helps with temperature regulation. Often build burrows. They share the task of incubating their eggs over 40 days. They are great hunters; catch fish by pursuit diving.

Welcome to our directory of Penguins
Penguins: Penguins are birds. They hunt fish, krill and squid. Adélie : Chinstrap : Emperor: Gentoo : King : Macaroni : Magellanic
Adélie Penguins Picture by Barbara.Wienecke	Live in the Antarctic. White body and black head and back. Black feet and flippers. White ring around the eye. They live and breed on islands and feed under the ice. They can only fast for a couple of days...If all goes well, the sea ice breaks out around the time the chicks hatch so that the parents can do quick turn-around feeding trips.) Sometimes 2 chicks per pair. Males get to their breeding colonies first, re-pebble their nests then court the females. Lay 2 eggs which they both incubate. Chicks hatch after 2 months and fed in relays. As the days get longer they feed more.
Chinstrap Penguins.	So called because they have a thin white line under their chin. Black backs, white fronts including underside of fins. Black beak. Eat almost only Krill. 50 million chinstraps. Colonised Zabadofski island just off the Antarctic coast. It’s a hot, active volcano so is warm and host to 2 million chinstraps. (photo awaited <please>).
Emperor Penguin Picture by Barbara.Wienecke	Found only in Antarctica only the emperors travel south in the Antarctic Winter. The deepest dive recorded so far was to 565 m or 0.35 miles which is below the night level. Most dives are 3-6 minutes hunting for their food, but dives have been recorded over 20 minutes. Eggs laid in early winter, in May. The mothers go to sea and don’t return until the Spring. They incubate their eggs for 65-75 days, brood their young for about 50 days and rear them to fledging in about 160 days. The emperor males do all the incubating and while they can't go and eat fish they eat snow to prevent dehydration. During the fiercest storms the males huddle together taking their turn on the windward side, most of the time they hang out in rather loose groups. The egg is positioned in a fold of skin protecting it from the elements. When the sun eventually starts to rise the eggs hatch. This is when their mothers return with food to regurgitate for the chick. The winter increases the sea ice to walk over 30 miles. When the mother returns to feed their chick the father leaves to feed himself. They could be eaten by Leopard Seals or Killer Whales. For the next 5 months the parents alternate fishing and feeding their chicks. They make use of Weddel seal holes in the ice. The chicks get fed very infrequently (once every 2-3 weeks) and the adults can deliver only about 3 kg per time. Under the ice is a busy world of krill and fish. Krill are eating algae and minerals in the new sun light. They gather in gigantic swarms larger than any other animal on earth. The winter storms are becoming more severe.
Gentoo Penguins Picture by Barbara.Wienecke	Close relative of the Adélie penguin. Lives at the Antarctic peninsula and sub-Antarctic islands. Small colonies. Usually don't leave their islands over winter and feed relatively close by. Females usually lay 2 eggs. They take about 105 days to rear their chicks.
King Penguins Picture by Barbara.Wienecke	South Georgia in the Antarctic is the home of 80,000 chicks. The 2^nd largest penguins are the Kings and breed here and are flourishing. 100 years ago they were nearly hunted to extinction but ok now. The chicks have a woolly coat and rearing takes longer than a year. The chicks mainly live off their fat for 3 months before the parent returns to feed it. White front, black head, yellow blotch on throat. Flippers have a black back, white front. Black feet and tail. Eaten by bull elephant seals.
Macaroni Penguins.	One of the "crested" penguins. Live mainly on sub-Antarctic islands. Noisy and numerous. Long Yellow feathers above the eye. Black back and flippers, pink feet and beak is dark orange-brown. Eat mainly krill.
Magellanic Penguin	Found in Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands/Malvinas. They are black with white lines running across their cheeks and down the length of their bodies. A pale red patch is above their eyes which is exposed featherless skin; helps with temperature regulation. Often build burrows. They share the task of incubating their eggs over 40 days. They are great hunters; catch fish by pursuit diving.