- Also called:
- Fiordland crested penguin
- Fiordland also spelled:
- Fjordland
- Related Topics:
- crested penguin
Fiordland penguin
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What is a Fiordland penguin?
The Fiordland penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) is a crested penguin species with a distinguishing thick, pale yellow stripe of feather plumes above each eye that extends from its bill to the rear of its head. They can grow to 55 cm in length and weigh up to 4 kg. Their tails, flippers, heads, and backs have blue-black plumage, while their chest and underside feathers are white.
They breed at 12 major sites and other smaller locations within their home range. Their nests are built in sheltered locations. They primarily eat small fish, fish larvae, krill, crustaceans, and cephalopods. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Fiordland penguins as vulnerable since 1994 because their numbers have declined since the 1980s due to predators.
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Where does the Fiordland penguin live?
The Fiordland penguin lives on Stewart and Solander Islands, as well as along the western and southern coasts of the South Island of New Zealand. They can also be found as far away as the North Island of New Zealand, Tasmania, and mainland Australia. Since the 1980s, the population of Fiordland penguins has declined, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed them as vulnerable since 1994. On land, predators, such as dogs, cats, stoats, wekas, and ferrets, often cause high egg and chick mortality.
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What does the Fiordland penguin look like?
The Fiordland penguin is a crested penguin with distinguishing pale yellow plumes that extend from its bill to the rear of its head. Adults can grow up to 55 cm in length and weigh about 4 kg, with males being slightly larger than females.
Its tail, flippers, head, and back are blue-black, while its chest and underside are white. A patch of bare skin can be seen at the base of its bill. Downy gray feathers cover the chicks, while juveniles have gray-colored feathers on their chest and underparts and are smaller than adults. The Fiordland penguin is often mistaken for the Snares penguin and the erect-crested penguin.
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What do Fiordland penguins eat?
Fiordland penguins eat fish larvae, small fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and krill. On land, predators of the Fiordland penguin include dogs, cats, stoats, wekas, and ferrets. In places where these predators are abundant, such as on the South Island, egg and chick mortality is often high. In the ocean, adults and juveniles are occasionally preyed upon by Hooker’s sea lions; however, their effect on Fiordland penguin populations is small.
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How do Fiordland penguins care for their young?
After laying two eggs, a breeding pair of Fiordland penguins incubates both. Typically, the smaller egg fails to hatch, but if it does, the chick often dies because it can't compete with its larger sibling for food. For the first few weeks, the male guards the surviving chick while the mother hunts. Afterward, both parents take turns caring for the chick.
Older chicks may join groups called "crèches" with other chicks during the day, but they return to their home nest to feed. In November, the chick leaves the nest as a fully fledged juvenile. They return to the breeding site after about five years to mate. Fiordland penguins can live as long as 20 years. Ecologists have noted a decline in the Fiordland penguin population since the 1980s due to predation of eggs and chicks.
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What threats do Fiordland penguins face in the wild?
The population of Fiordland penguins has decreased since the 1980s due to the predation of their eggs and chicks. South Island colonies have experienced the largest declines because they are more susceptible to land predators, and humans have caused habitat fragmentation, resulting in the loss of breeding sites. Land predators of the Fiordland penguin include dogs, cats, stoats, wekas, and ferrets. In the ocean, Hooker’s sea lions occasionally prey on adult and juvenile penguins; however, they do not have a large impact on the population. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Fiordland penguins as vulnerable since 1994.
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Fiordland penguin, (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus), species of crested penguin (genus Eudyptes, order Sphenisciformes) characterized by a thick stripe of pale yellow feather plumes above each eye (the superciliary stripe) that extends from the bill to the rear of the head. The terminal ends of each of the stripes extend outward near the back of the head. The species is also distinguished by a patch of bare skin at the base of its bill. It breeds on Stewart Island, Solander Island, and much of the western and southern coasts of the South Island in New Zealand. (Fiordland is located on the westernmost tip of the South Island.) However, individuals have migrated as far away as the North Island of New Zealand, Tasmania, and the Australian mainland.
Physical features
Fiordland penguins can reach up to 55 cm (about 22 inches) in length and weigh up to 4 kg (about 9 pounds), males being slightly larger than females. The tail, flippers, head, and back are adorned with blue-black plumage, whereas feathers on the chest and underside are white. The chicks have thick downy gray feathers. In addition to being somewhat smaller than adults, juveniles also possess gray-coloured feathers on the chest and underparts. The appearance of the Fiordland penguin is often confused with that of the Snares penguin (E. robustus) and the erect-crested penguin (E. sclateri).
Predators and prey
The species subsists on fish larvae, small fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and krill (Euphausia). On land, predators of the Fiordland penguin include dogs, cats, stoats (Mustela erminea), wekas (Gallirallus australis), and ferrets (M. putorius furo). In places where such predators are abundant, such as on the South Island, egg and chick mortality is often high. In the ocean, adults and juveniles are occasionally preyed upon by Hooker’s sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri); however, their effect on Fiordland penguin populations is small.
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Nesting and breeding
Breeding occurs in June at 12 major sites and numerous smaller ones spread throughout their home range. Each individual nest is built in a sheltered location (such as in a cave, in a gap between rocks, or beneath overhanging tree branches), where it is out of sight from other nests. In July breeding pairs typically lay two eggs: a smaller egg that nearly always fails to hatch and a larger egg that contains a larger, more-viable chick. Both eggs are incubated. In some clutches the smaller egg hatches; however, the smaller chick is often unable to compete for food with its larger sibling and soon dies. The male guards the surviving chick for the first few weeks of life, while the mother hunts for food. Thereafter the male and female take turns caring for it. During the day, older chicks may wander to other nests to form “crèches” (groups) with other members of their cohort, returning later to the home nest to feed. The chick leaves the nest in November, when it becomes fully fledged, and returns to the breeding site some five years later to mate. Fiordland penguins may live as long as 20 years.
Conservation status
Ecologists note that Fiordland penguins have declined since the early 1980s because of predation pressure on eggs and chicks. Breeding pairs once numbering 5,000 to 10,000 in the mid-1980s had fallen to 2,500 to 3,000 by 2010. Colonies on the South Island have experienced the largest declines because of their vulnerability to terrestrial predators and the loss of breeding sites resulting from habitat fragmentation caused by humans. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed Fiordland penguins as vulnerable since 1994 on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.