Facts about penguins

King penguin group, Macquarie Island

• Thirteen of the world’s 18 penguin species have been recorded in the New Zealand region (including the Ross Dependency). Nine of these species breed here.
• Three penguin species breed on the New Zealand mainland: little blue (kororā), yellow-eyed (hoiho)and Fiordland crested (tawaki). These species breed alone or in small groups, unlike their Antarctic relatives that gather in large colonies.
• Although the penguin’s ancestors were flying birds, penguins do not have this skill and they instead use their paddle-like wings (flippers) to propel themselves through the water.
• Penguin wing bones are solid, unlike flying birds’ wings which are hollow to save weight.
• Penguins dive to catch food, including fish, krill (tiny shrimp-like creatures), squid and a wide range of marine invertebrates. The emperor penguin holds the diving record at 450 metres deep and 11 minutes underwater.
• Penguins feed their young by storing fish in their stomach and regurgitating it. This means adults not only have to catch enough fish for themselves; they also must slow the digestion process to ensure that their chicks get a meal once they arrive home.
• Unlike flying birds, which moult and replace their feathers gradually so that they can continue to fly, penguins moult all of their feathers at once. This enables them to go back out to sea without ‘leaks’ in their waterproof insulation. Moulting is a stressful time for penguins, and during this two to five week period in late summer birds may look sick and ragged.

Species that breed on the New Zealand mainland

Yellow-eyed penguin

The yellow-eyed penguin, unique to New Zealand, is one of the world’s rarest penguins. Its name comes from its distinctive yellow iris. A distinctive yellow headband is also present in adults and is gained in thefirst moult at one year of age. Dorsal plumage is grey/ blue in colour, and the belly snow-white.

Yellow-eyed penguins are found along the southeastern coast of the South Island. They are also found on Stewart Island and its offshore islands and on Auckland and Campbell Islands. Numbers on the NZ Mainland vary between 400–600 breeding pairs with large fluctuations occurring between years in response to marine conditions.

The Māori name for the yellow-eyed penguin is hoiho, which means ‘noise shouter’ and refers to their shrill call. You can usually hear them before you see them!

Fiordland crested penguin on nest
containing eggs

Fiordland crested penguin/tawaki

The Fiordland crested penguin has a black head, throat and upper parts and white underparts. The sulphur-yellow crest starts at the base of the bill, extends over
the eye and droops down the back of the head. Adults often have white stripes on the cheeks, while juveniles have a shorter crest and pale cheeks.

This species’ breeding range is the rugged coastline of South Westland, Fiordland and the islands of Foveaux Strait and Stewart Island. The birds nest individually, or in loose colonies, close to the coast. Nest sites are in caves, under overhangs, at the base of trees or in dense vegetation.

The population is currently estimated to be around 3000 breeding pairs but little information is available on population trends.