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- Megadyptes
Yellow-eyed penguin
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What is a yellow-eyed penguin?
The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is unique, as it is the only penguin species in the Megadyptes genus. It stands out with its pale yellow eyes, yellow eyebands, and yellow feathers on the upper head.
These penguins nest in solitude, building nests from grass and twigs, or burrows, often near solid structures like rocks and trees. The breeding season stretches from August to March, with pairs usually remaining monogamous, returning to the same nest each year.
Their diet consists of squid and fish, such as red cod and blue cod. They can dive as deep as 130 meters to hunt. Sadly, the yellow-eyed penguin population has declined since 1960. The IUCN has listed them as endangered since 2000, citing threats like fishing nets, introduced predators, and habitat degradation.
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Where do yellow-eyed penguins live?
The yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) is unique among penguins, characterized by its pale yellow eyes, yellow eye bands, and yellow feathers on the upper head. Their geographic range is limited to specific areas within New Zealand, including Stewart Island, the Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, and the southeastern coast of South Island.
These penguins nest in forests and scrub near the shoreline, building nests of grass and twigs or burrows, typically out of sight from other breeding pairs. The yellow-eyed penguin population has declined dramatically since 1960 and is listed as endangered.
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Why are yellow-eyed penguins called that?
The yellow-eyed penguin gets its name from its distinctive physical characteristics. It is the only penguin species of the genus Megadyptes characterized by pale yellow eyes, yellow eyebands, and yellow feathers covering the upper part of its head.
Adult yellow-eyed penguins average about 60 cm in length and weigh 5 to 6 kg, with males slightly larger than females. Their geographic range is limited to New Zealand's Stewart Island, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, and the southeastern coast of South Island. The species is endangered due to threats like fishing nets, introduced predators, habitat loss, and diseases.
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What do yellow-eyed penguins eat?
Yellow-eyed penguins primarily consume squid and fish, with a particular fondness for red cod (Pseudophycis bachus) and blue cod (Parapercis colias), as well as bristling and silversides (smelt). These penguins are known to dive as deep as 130 meters (425 feet) to capture their prey.
The worldwide population of yellow-eyed penguins has declined dramatically since 1960 and the species is currently listed as endangered.
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How do yellow-eyed penguins raise their young?
The yellow-eyed penguin breeding season spans from August to March. These penguins nest in secluded spots within forests and scrubs near the shore, building nests of grass and twigs or burrows, unlike other species that breed in dense colonies.
Most yellow-eyed penguin pairs are monogamous, often returning to the same nest each year. Around 12 days after mating, the female lays two eggs, and both parents take turns incubating them for 39–51 days. For the first six weeks after hatching, one parent guards the chicks while the other forages for food.
Around 100 days after hatching, young yellow-eyed penguins leave the nest to live independently.
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What are some threats to yellow-eyed penguins in the wild?
The yellow-eyed penguin population has declined dramatically since 1960 and is listed as endangered by the IUCN. Each year, many yellow-eyed penguins die from becoming entangled in fishing nets, being preyed upon by introduced mammals, and contracting infections from blood parasites and avian malaria.
Adult and juvenile yellow-eyed penguins are killed and eaten by sharks and Hooker's sea lions in the ocean. On land, introduced predators, such as ermines, ferrets, and domesticated and feral dogs and cats, prey on eggs and members of all age classes. Food shortages resulting from cyclical changes in seawater temperature and diseases also contribute to population decline. Habitat quality has declined because of residential development and other human activities.
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Yellow-eyed penguin, (Megadyptes antipodes), the only species of penguin (order Sphenisciformes) belonging to the genus Megadyptes and the only one characterized by pale yellow eyes, yellow eyebands, and yellow feathers that cover the upper part of the head. The geographic range of the species is limited to Stewart Island, the Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, and the southeastern coast of South Island in New Zealand.
Physical features
Adult yellow-eyed penguins average about 60 cm (about 24 inches) in length and weigh from 5 to 6 kg (roughly 11 to 13 pounds), the males being slightly taller and heavier than the females. Both sexes closely resemble one another in appearance, possessing gray plumage on their back and white plumage on their underside. The irises are coloured gray at the beginning of the juvenile stage, but they change to yellow before full adult plumage is developed. Chicks are covered with dark brown downy feathers.
Predators and prey
Yellow-eyed penguins prefer squid and fish, especially red cod (Pseudophycis bachus) and blue cod (Parapercis colias), bristling, and silversides (smelt). Individual yellow-eyed penguins routinely dive as deep as 130 metres (about 425 feet) beneath the ocean’s surface to capture prey. In the ocean, adults and juveniles are killed and eaten by sharks and Hooker’s sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri). On land, eggs and members of all age classes are preyed upon by introduced predators, such as ermines (Mustela erminea), ferrets (M. furo), and domesticated and feral dogs and cats.
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Nesting and breeding
The reproductive cycle of the yellow-eyed penguin lasts from August to March—one of the longest breeding seasons of all penguin species. It begins in mid-August when the adults return to their nests, which are located in patches of forest and scrub near the shoreline. Unlike other species that breed in dense colonies, a breeding pair of yellow-eyed penguins builds its nest of grass and twigs or excavates a burrow out of sight of other breeding pairs. Nests are usually erected against solid structures, such as rocks and trees. Most breeding pairs are monogamous and return to the nest they used during the previous year.
Twelve days after copulation, two eggs of equal size are laid in the burrow or nest. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs, and incubation continues until the eggs hatch some 39–51 days later. For the first six weeks of life, the chicks are guarded by either their mother or their father. While one parent remains near the nest, the other forages in the sea and feeds the chicks upon its return to the nest. Unlike other penguin species, most yellow-eyed chicks do not form “crèches” (groups) with other members of their cohort; chicks on Campbell Island have been observed in small crèches numbering three to seven individuals, however.
Between late February and early March, some 100 days after they hatch, young yellow-eyed penguins leave the nest to live on their own. Most females reach sexual maturity by age two or three, whereas most males reach sexual maturity by age three to five. Many individuals live to be 20 years old, and some have lived as long as 24 years.
Conservation status
Ornithologists and ecologists contend that the worldwide population has declined dramatically since 1960. By 2010 the species was made up of only 4,000–4,800 adults, which included approximately 1,500 breeding pairs. The species has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered since 2000 on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN justifies the classification by citing a number of threats that contributed to the species’s decline. Each year, many yellow-eyed penguins die from entanglement in fishing nets, predation by introduced mammals, and infections by blood parasites and avian malaria. Periodically, the populations of some colonies have fallen from food shortages resulting from cyclical changes in seawater temperature and diphtheritic stomatitis (a disease caused by bacteria that produces mouth lesions in chicks that hinder swallowing and respiration). In addition, the species is limited to small habitat patches, many of which have declined in quality as a result of residential development and other human activities. However, some studies note that the combined effects of penguin awareness campaigns (such as the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust), barriers that prevent humans from disturbing the nests, aggressive predator trapping, and habitat restoration may have arrested the decline in habitat quality, which may lead to increases in population over time.
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