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96-670: SOSSA is also involved in research and conservation of little penguins in New South Wales, making its data sheets available to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and being represented on their Little Penguin Recovery Team. SOSSA operates monthly public pelagic trips from Wollongong to see seabirds and marine mammals . Projects supported by SOSSA include studies of Diomedea and Thalassarche albatrosses, sooty oystercatchers , cuttlefish , and

192-519: A leopard seal ) has difficulty distinguishing between a white penguin belly and the reflective water surface. The dark plumage on their backs camouflages them from above. Gentoo penguins are the fastest underwater birds in the world. They are capable of reaching speeds up to 36 km (about 22 miles) per hour while searching for food or escaping from predators. They are also able to dive to depths of 170–200 meters (about 560–660 feet). The small penguins do not usually dive deep; they catch their prey near

288-656: A 30 km radius of their nest. Research conducted on the Philip Island colony found the spatial segregeation of foraging behaviour was primarily determined by age rather than biological sex. In long lived species such as seabirds, it is during the middle age of their lifetimes where they are expected to be in the best physical condition. This is why in Eudyptula minor , middle aged individuals foraged at greater distances from their nests and were able to dive greater distances Older penguins are found to forage closer to

384-454: A breeding season, though the rate the same pair recouples varies drastically. Most penguins lay two eggs in a clutch, although the two largest species, the emperor and the king penguins , lay only one. With the exception of the emperor penguin, where the male does it all, all penguins share the incubation duties. These incubation shifts can last days and even weeks as one member of the pair feeds at sea. Penguins generally only lay one brood;

480-642: A change of gravel in their enclosure. It is still not known what caused the deaths of the penguins, and it was decided not to return the 12 surviving penguins to the same enclosure where the penguins became ill. A new enclosure for the little penguin colony was opened at Sea World in 2008. In New Zealand, Eudyptula penguin exhibits exist at the Auckland Zoo , the Wellington Zoo , the International Antarctic Centre and

576-545: A continuous circumpolar flow only around 30 mya, on the one hand forcing the Antarctic cooling, and on the other facilitating the eastward expansion of Spheniscus to South America and eventually beyond. Despite this, there is no fossil evidence to support the idea of crown radiation from the Antarctic continent in the Paleogene, although DNA study favors such a radiation. Later, an interspersed period of slight warming

672-707: A derivation from Welsh pen , 'head' and gwyn , 'white', including the Oxford English Dictionary , the American Heritage Dictionary , the Century Dictionary and Merriam-Webster , on the basis that the name was originally applied to the great auk, either because it was found on White Head Island ( Welsh : Pen Gwyn ) in Newfoundland, or because it had white circles around its eyes (though

768-462: A group of penguins on land is a waddle , and a group of penguins in the water is a raft . Since 1871, the Latin word Pinguinus has been used in scientific classification to name the genus of the great auk ( Pinguinus impennis , meaning "plump or fat without flight feathers "), which became extinct in the mid-19th century. As confirmed by a 2004 genetic study, the genus Pinguinus belongs in

864-507: A large group after dusk and walk along the shore to reach their nesting sites. This may be an effective predator avoidance strategy by traveling in a large group simultaneously. This has not been seen by those of the New Zealand lineage. Eudyptula minor only recently encountered terrestrial vertebrate predators, while Eudyptula novaehollandiae would have had to deal with carnivorous marsupials . Eudyptula minor breeds along most of

960-468: A major oil spill with the grounding of the Rena off New Zealand in 2011, which killed 2,000 seabirds (including little penguins) directly, and killed an estimated 20,000 in total based on wider ecosystem impacts. Oil spills are the most common cause of the little penguins being admitted to the rehabilitation facilities at Phillip Island Nature Park (PINP). These oil spill recurrences have endangered not just

1056-485: A mostly Subantarctic distribution centred on South America ; some, however, range quite far northwards. They all lack carotenoid colouration and the former genus has a conspicuous banded head pattern; they are unique among living penguins by nesting in burrows. This group probably radiated eastwards with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current out of the ancestral range of modern penguins throughout

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1152-469: A part of the same species Like those of all penguins , the wings of Eudyptula species have developed into flippers used for swimming. Eudyptula species typically grow to between 30 and 33 cm (12 and 13 in) tall and on average weigh 1.5 kg (3.3 lb). The head and upper parts are blue in colour, with slate-grey ear coverts fading to white underneath, from the chin to the belly. Their flippers are blue in colour. The dark grey-black beak

1248-400: A season. Double brooding is more likely to occur in individuals who lay their first clutch, prior to mid-September. While there is some inter annual variability, the most common period for little penguins to lay their first clutch in spring, mid-September is considered early and gives species time left in the season to lay a second clutch of eggs after the first have fledged Double brooding

1344-499: A small foraging range, and therefore higher possibility of competition when prey availability is more scarce Particularly during breeding season when energy demands for both parents and chicks are at their highest, in order to survive Eudyptula minor adapt to these constraints by increasing the plasticity and variability in their foraging behaviour, which includes spatial, age, or diet based segregation During chick rearing, parents will make on average one day long foraging trips within

1440-455: Is 3–4 cm long, the irises pale silvery- or bluish-grey or hazel, and the feet pink above with black soles and webbing. An immature individual will have a shorter bill and lighter upperparts. Like most seabirds, the Eudyptula species have a long lifespan. The average for the species is 6.5 years, but flipper ringing experiments show that in very exceptional cases they may live up to 25 years in captivity. Eudyptula minor does not have

1536-412: Is a behaviour which its onset can be strongly influenced by sea surface temperature, age and food availability Warmer sea surface temperature in summer and autumn corellated with earlier laying of first clutch of eggs increasing the chances of double brooding. In contrast, in New Zealand it was observed that during periods of El Niño Southern Oscilation where colder temperature water was being brought to

1632-456: Is also known by its Māori name kororā . It is a fossorial bird. The Australian little penguin ( Eudyptula novaehollandiae ), from Australia and the Otago region of New Zealand, is considered a separate species. Eudyptula minor feathers are dense in melanosomes which attribute to both their strength to swim fast through the water, and its unique blue colour. The little penguin

1728-527: Is available. When prey is larger and individuals are only catching 1-2 items at a time, they are more likely to hunt alone to reduce competition, whereas smaller and more mobile prey, or schooling prey species, promote group hunting to enable efficient encirclement. The Oamaru colony predominantly feeds on smaller schooling species such as sprat and gudgeon, while penguins from the Stewart/Codfish Island colonies more often hunt alone. The latter

1824-473: Is currently considered by most taxonomists to be a colour morph or subspecies of Eudyptula minor. In 2008, Shirihai treated the little penguin and white-flippered penguin as allospecies . However, as of 2012, the IUCN and BirdLife International consider the white-flippered penguin to be a subspecies or morph of the little penguin. Little penguins from New Zealand and Australia were once considered to be

1920-518: Is known is colonies in New Zealand commonly consist of smaller fragmented groups in comparison to Australias larger colonies, some with <10 breeding pairs, this is largely attributed to NZs fragmented coastline separating the larger colonies. This is commonly seen in Kaikoura where 6-7 smaller colonies have been found along 1.7% of coastline Little penguins are central place foragers, meaning they will travel distances to forage but always return to

2016-483: Is likely linked to a predominantly cephalopods diet (58% of prey items at < 10 gm each). Rising ocean temperatures has seen a trend towards earlier onset of breeding in Eudyptula minor but this does not always align with the availability of their prey. This is because higher sea surface temperatures are associated with early onset of nesting, but also associated with lower nutrients and oxygen availability. During

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2112-460: Is much greater than in air). The emperor penguin has a maximum feather density of about nine feathers per square centimeter which is actually much lower than other birds that live in Antarctic environments. However, they have been identified as having at least four different types of feather: in addition to the traditional feather, the emperor has afterfeathers , plumules , and filoplumes . The afterfeathers are downy plumes that attach directly to

2208-521: Is not considered endangered in New Zealand, with the exception of the white-flippered subspecies found only on Banks Peninsula and nearby Motunau Island . Since the 1960s, the mainland population has declined by 60-70%; though a small increase has occurred on Motunau Island. A colony exists in Wellington Harbor on Matiu / Somes Island . Protestors have opposed the development of a marina at Kennedy Point, Waiheke Island in New Zealand for

2304-457: Is or includes the paleeudyptines as recognized today – occurred on most Antarctic and Subantarctic coasts. Size plasticity was significant at this initial stage of radiation : on Seymour Island , Antarctica, for example, around 10 known species of penguins ranging in size from medium to large apparently coexisted some 35 mya during the Priabonian (Late Eocene). It is not known whether

2400-489: Is sometimes called " higher waterbirds " to distinguish them from the more ancient waterfowl . This group contains such birds as storks , rails , and the seabirds , with the possible exception of the Charadriiformes . Inside this group, penguin relationships are far less clear. Depending on the analysis and dataset, a close relationship to Ciconiiformes or to Procellariiformes has been suggested. Some think

2496-501: Is thought to be some of the main reasons for increased vulnerability in the future. The threats it provides include nest and habitat distruption, as well as deadly to eggs and individuals, despite this Eudyptula minor appears to show no fear towards fire when directly exposed. When observed, they have been to found to remain around or under vegetation until severely burnt or injured. Some have even been observed preening their feathers near to open flames. Fires can also significantly alter

2592-404: Is used by parents and chicks to locate one another in crowded colonies . Their eyes are adapted for underwater vision and are their primary means of locating prey and avoiding predators; in air it has been suggested that they are nearsighted , although research has not supported this hypothesis. Penguins have a thick layer of insulating feathers that keeps them warm in water (heat loss in water

2688-643: Is well-researched, many prehistoric forms are not fully described . Some seminal articles about the evolutionary history of penguins have been published since 2005. The basal penguins lived around the time of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event in the general area of southern New Zealand and Byrd Land , Antarctica. Due to plate tectonics , these areas were at that time less than 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) apart rather than 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi). The most recent common ancestor of penguins and Procellariiformes can be roughly dated to

2784-472: The Antarctic Peninsula and Patagonia have not yielded Paleogene fossils of the subfamily. Also, the earliest spheniscine lineages are those with the most southern distribution. The genus Aptenodytes appears to be the basalmost divergence among living penguins. They have bright yellow-orange neck, breast, and bill patches; incubate by placing their eggs on their feet, and when they hatch

2880-595: The Bronx Zoo , and the Cincinnati Zoo . [REDACTED] Animals portal Penguin For prehistoric genera, see List of penguins#Fossil genera Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae ( / s f ɪ ˈ n ɪ s ɪ d iː , - d aɪ / ) of the order Sphenisciformes ( / s f ɪ ˈ n ɪ s ə f ɔːr m iː z / ). They live almost exclusively in

2976-586: The Campanian – Maastrichtian boundary, around 70–68 mya. The oldest known fossil penguin species is Waimanu manneringi , which lived 62 mya in New Zealand. While they were not as well-adapted to aquatic life as modern penguins, Waimanu were flightless, with short wings adapted for deep diving. They swam on the surface using mainly their feet, but the wings were – as opposed to most other diving birds (both living and extinct) – already adapting to underwater locomotion. Perudyptes from northern Peru

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3072-671: The Chattian (Late Oligocene), starting approximately 28 mya. While the two genera separated during this time, the present-day diversity is the result of a Pliocene radiation, taking place some 4–2 mya. The Megadyptes – Eudyptes clade occurs at similar latitudes (though not as far north as the Galápagos penguin ), has its highest diversity in the New Zealand region, and represents a westward dispersal. They are characterized by hairy yellow ornamental head feathers; their bills are at least partly red. These two genera diverged apparently in

3168-485: The Eudyptula minor colonies currently facing decline The data shows highest level of penguin mortality is caused by roadkill, likely due to many of the colonies being close to coastal highway. To mitigate this issue, a penguin-proof fence was erected in 2019 across 3.3 km of highway where road kill was most prevalent, no roadkill deaths have been recorded since its implementation The risk of fire damage to habitats in Philip Island has been partially mitigated through

3264-458: The Eudyptula novaehollandiae the lineage of little blue penguins which inhabit Australian and Otago regions, there is not evidence to suggest this is an established behaviour within Eudyptula minor , however double broods are occasionally noticed among the colonies in the Kaikoura coastline It is unsure yet whether this is means double brooding is a genetically mediated behaviour. There is also an uneven distribution of research carried out across

3360-614: The Five Islands Nature Reserve off Port Kembla . This article about an organisation in Australia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Little penguin The little penguin ( Eudyptula minor ) is the smallest species of penguin . It originates from New Zealand . It is commonly known as the fairy penguin , little blue penguin , or blue penguin , owing to its slate -blue plumage and

3456-728: The National Aquarium of New Zealand . Since 2017, the National Aquarium of New Zealand, has featured a monthly "Penguin of the Month" board, declaring two of their resident animals the "Naughty" and "Nice" penguin for that month. Photos of the board have gone viral and gained the aquarium a large worldwide social media following. In the United States, Eudyptula penguins can be seen at the Louisville Zoo

3552-621: The Southern Hemisphere : only one species , the Galápagos penguin , is found north of the Equator . Highly adapted for life in the ocean water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage and flippers for swimming. Most penguins feed on krill , fish , squid and other forms of sea life which they catch with their bills and swallow whole while swimming. A penguin has a spiny tongue and powerful jaws to grip slippery prey. They spend about half of their lives on land and

3648-609: The Taronga Zoo in Sydney . Enclosures include nesting boxes or similar structures for the animals to retire into, a reconstruction of a pool and in some cases, a transparent aquarium wall to allow patrons to view the animals underwater while they swim. Eudyptula penguin exhibit exists at Sea World , on the Gold Coast, Queensland , Australia. In early March 2007, 25 of the 37 penguins died from an unknown toxin following

3744-494: The phylogenetic taxon Spheniscidae to what here is referred to as Spheniscinae. Furthermore, they restrict the phylogenetic taxon Sphenisciformes to flightless taxa, and establish the phylogenetic taxon Pansphenisciformes as equivalent to the Linnean taxon Sphenisciformes, i.e., including any flying basal "proto-penguins" to be discovered eventually. Given that neither the relationships of the penguin subfamilies to each other nor

3840-579: The "heterothermic loophole" that penguins utilize in order to survive in Antarctica. All extant penguins, even those that live in warmer climates, have a counter-current heat exchanger called the humeral plexus. The flippers of penguins have at least three branches of the axillary artery, which allows cold blood to be heated by blood that has already been warmed and limits heat loss from the flippers. This system allows penguins to efficiently use their body heat and explains why such small animals can survive in

3936-533: The Australian little penguin as a new and separate species, Eudyptula novaehollandiae . E. minor is endemic to New Zealand, while E. novaehollandiae is found in Australia and Otago. A 2019 study supported the recognition of E. minor and E. novaehollandiae as separate species. This IUCN assessment treats Eudyptula minor and Eudyptula novaehollandiae as just one species. Are used interchangeably throughout report to specify location, however are considered

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4032-526: The Middle Miocene ( Langhian , roughly 15–14 mya), although the living species of Eudyptes are the product of a later radiation, stretching from about the late Tortonian (Late Miocene, 8 mya) to the end of the Pliocene. The geographical and temporal pattern of spheniscine evolution corresponds closely to two episodes of global cooling documented in the paleoclimatic record . The emergence of

4128-596: The Oamaru colony of Eudyptula minor , however in 1995 the availability of species from 20% in December to 0% in January the following year. Penguins were able to successfully adapt and their diet instead began to consist of slender sprat and pigfish If penguins produce a second clutch of eggs in a season once the first chicks have fledged, this is known as double brooding. Thus far this behaviour has only been observed in

4224-701: The Southern Hemisphere, they noticed their similar appearance to the great auk of the Northern Hemisphere and named them after this bird, although they are not closely related. The etymology of the word penguin is still debated. The English word is not apparently of French , Breton or Spanish origin (the latter two are attributed to the French word pingouin ), but first appears in English or Dutch. Some dictionaries suggest

4320-542: The Spheniscinae lies probably in the latest Paleogene and, geographically, it must have been much the same as the general area in which the order evolved: the oceans between the Australia-New Zealand region and the Antarctic. Presumably diverging from other penguins around 40 mya, it seems that the Spheniscinae were for quite some time limited to their ancestral area, as the well-researched deposits of

4416-683: The Spheniscinae, as Aptenodytes ' autapomorphies are, in most cases, fairly pronounced adaptations related to that genus' extreme habitat conditions. As the former genus, Pygoscelis seems to have diverged during the Bartonian, but the range expansion and radiation that led to the present-day diversity probably did not occur until much later; around the Burdigalian stage of the Early Miocene , roughly 20–15 mya. The genera Spheniscus and Eudyptula contain species with

4512-542: The Subantarctic lineage at the end of the Bartonian corresponds with the onset of the slow period of cooling that eventually led to the ice ages some 35 million years later. With habitat on the Antarctic coasts declining, by the Priabonian more hospitable conditions for most penguins existed in the Subantarctic regions rather than in Antarctica itself. Notably, the cold Antarctic Circumpolar Current also started as

4608-600: The ability to reclaim success early suggests it is likely that successful double brooding is a behaviour that improves with age. Another influencing factor is the availability of food, for larger colonies such as the Philip Islands, competition for food can increase significantly during the breeding season, particularly if there is variability in the amount of prey available. If this competition results in aggression between adults this can also influence ability to successfully raise chicks, and be able to successfully breed in

4704-533: The air. In the water, however, penguins are astonishingly agile. Penguins' swimming looks very similar to birds' flight in the air. Within the smooth plumage a layer of air is preserved, ensuring buoyancy. The air layer also helps insulate the birds in cold waters. On land, penguins use their tails and wings to maintain balance for their upright stance. All penguins are countershaded for camouflage – that is, they have black backs and wings with white fronts. A predator looking up from below (such as an orca or

4800-432: The arrival of the Australian species in New Zealand was determined to have occurred roughly between AD 1500 and 1900. When the E. minor population declined in New Zealand, it left a genetic opening for E. novaehollandiae . The decrease of E. minor was most likely due to anthropogenic effects, such as being hunted by humans as well as introduced predators, including dogs brought from overseas. It has been determined that

4896-407: The breeding season parents are restricted to a short foraging area close to their nest and are therefore vulnerable to small regional changes. La Niña Southern Oscilation events increasing the sea surface temperature along the New Zealand coastline caused prey such as schooling fish and krill to either become more regionally scarce or migrate to new habitats. Grahams Gudgeon once dominated the diet of

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4992-421: The chicks are almost naked. This genus has a distribution centred on the Antarctic coasts and barely extends to some Subantarctic islands today. Pygoscelis contains species with a fairly simple black-and-white head pattern; their distribution is intermediate, centred on Antarctic coasts but extending somewhat northwards from there. In external morphology , these apparently still resemble the common ancestor of

5088-555: The coastline of New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands . However, Eudyptula minor does not occur in Otago , which is located on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island . The Australian species Eudyptula novaehollandiae occurs in Otago. E. novaehollandiae was originally endemic to Australia. Using ancient-DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating using historical, pre-human, as well as archaeological Eudyptula remains,

5184-859: The composition of vegetation in Eudyptula minor habitats. A large fire in Marion Bay, South Australia in 1994 saw the loss of two key plant species; introduced marram grass Ammophila and coastal wattle A.sophorae . Following the fire, these grasses were replaced by invasive palms A.arenia and A.sophorae grew back in dense thickets. This habitat became no longer suitable for Eudyptula minor and colony relocated. Eudyptula species are classified as "at risk - declining" under New Zealand's Wildlife Act 1953 . Overall, little penguin populations in New Zealand have been decreasing. Some colonies have become extinct, and others continue to be at risk. Some new colonies have been established in urban areas. The species

5280-420: The diet of the Philip Island colony has diversified to include selections of cephalopods and krill during the post guard stage of their life cycle where greater amounts of energy is required for chick development and egg production, resident penguins predominantly rely on anchovies when more energy is required. The nature of their diet also impacts foraging methods, which may vary by colony depending on what food

5376-494: The distinct bright blue feathers that distinguish Eudyptula novaehollandiae. In addition, the vocalisation patterns of the New Zealand lineage located on Tiritiri Matangi Island vary from the Australian lineage located in Oamaru . Females are known to prefer the local call of the New Zealand lineage. There are also behavioural differences that help differentiate these penguins. Those of the Australian lineage will swim together in

5472-517: The emergence of another morphotype in the same area, the similarly sized but more gracile Palaeospheniscinae , as well as the radiation that gave rise to the current biodiversity of penguins. Modern penguins constitute two undisputed clades and another two more basal genera with more ambiguous relationships. To help resolve the evolution of this order , 19 high-coverage genomes that, together with two previously published genomes, encompass all extant penguin species have been sequenced. The origin of

5568-600: The end of the Paleogene , around 25 mya. Their decline and disappearance coincided with the spread of the Squalodontidae and other primitive, fish-eating toothed whales , which competed with them for food and were ultimately more successful. A new lineage, the Paraptenodytes , which includes smaller and stout-legged forms, had already arisen in southernmost South America by that time. The early Neogene saw

5664-402: The exception is the little penguin, which can raise two or three broods in a season. Penguin eggs are smaller than any other bird species when compared proportionally to the weight of the parent birds; at 52 g (2 oz), the little penguin egg is 4.7% of its mothers' weight, and the 450 g (1 lb) emperor penguin egg is 2.3%. The relatively thick shell forms between 10 and 16% of

5760-475: The extreme cold of the Antarctic winter, the females are at sea fishing for food, leaving the males to brave the weather by themselves. They often huddle together to keep warm and rotate positions to make sure that each penguin gets a turn in the centre of the heat pack. Calculations of the heat loss and retention ability of marine endotherms suggest that most extant penguins are too small to survive in such cold environments. In 2007, Thomas and Fordyce wrote about

5856-472: The extreme cold. They can drink salt water because their supraorbital gland filters excess salt from the bloodstream. The salt is excreted in a concentrated fluid from the nasal passages. The great auk of the Northern Hemisphere, now extinct, was superficially similar to penguins, and the word penguin was originally used for that bird centuries ago. They are only distantly related to

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5952-400: The family of the auks (Alcidae), within the order of the Charadriiformes . The birds currently known as penguins were discovered later and were so named by sailors because of their physical resemblance to the great auk. Despite this resemblance, however, they are not auks, and are not closely related to the great auk. They do not belong in the genus Pinguinus , and are not classified in

6048-493: The greatest terrestrial risk to little penguins and include cats, dogs, rats, and particularly ferrets and stoats . As examples significant dog attacks have been recorded at the colony at Little Kaiteriteri Beach, and a suspected stoat or ferret attack at Doctor's Point near Dunedin , New Zealand, claimed the lives of 29 little blue penguins in November 2014. Little penguin populations have been significantly affected by

6144-571: The head was black). However, the Welsh word pen can also be used to mean 'front' and, in a maritime context, pen blaen means 'front end or part, bow (of a ship), prow'. An alternative etymology links the word to Latin pinguis , which means 'fat' or 'oil'. Support for this etymology can be found in the alternative Germanic word for penguin, fettgans or 'fat-goose', and the related Dutch word vetgans . Adult male penguins are sometimes called cocks , females sometimes called hens ;

6240-514: The little penguins, but the entire penguin population. This can further decline the population, which can lead to possible extinction. Increased frequency of drought and extreme temperatures in Southern Australia has led to an increased fire risk. Being flightless birds that nest on land, little blue penguins are especially vulnerable to fire. Behavioural traits such as reluctancy to abandon nests and emerging mostly during daylit hours

6336-414: The main feathers and were once believed to account for the bird's ability to conserve heat when under water; the plumules are small down feathers that attach directly to the skin, and are much more dense in penguins than other birds; lastly the filoplumes are small (less than 1 cm long) naked shafts that end in a splay of fibers— filoplumes were believed to give flying birds a sense of where their plumage

6432-607: The most part breed in large colonies, the exceptions being the yellow-eyed and Fiordland species; these colonies may range in size from as few as 100 pairs for gentoo penguins to several hundred thousand in the case of king, macaroni and chinstrap penguins. Living in colonies results in a high level of social interaction between birds, which has led to a large repertoire of visual as well as vocal displays in all penguin species. Agonistic displays are those intended to confront or drive off, or alternately appease and avoid conflict with, other individuals. Penguins form monogamous pairs for

6528-404: The next season. During the breeding season, Eudyptula minor are central place foragers, this means that they travel within their home range to find food, but will return to their nest to feed both themselves and their chicks. Their foraging range is limited by how long chicks can fast, and the high energetic of costs of constant travelling for individuals. Such a behaviour has resulted in both

6624-647: The other half in the sea. The largest living species is the emperor penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri ): on average, adults are about 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kg (77 lb). The smallest penguin species is the little blue penguin ( Eudyptula minor ), also known as the fairy penguin, which stands around 30–33 cm (12–13 in) tall and weighs 1.2–1.3 kg (2.6–2.9 lb). Today, larger penguins generally inhabit colder regions, and smaller penguins inhabit regions with temperate or tropical climates . Some prehistoric penguin species were enormous: as tall or heavy as an adult human. There

6720-652: The palaeeudyptines constitute a monophyletic lineage, or whether gigantism was evolved independently in a restricted Palaeeudyptinae and the Anthropornithinae – whether they were considered valid, or whether there was a wide size range present in the Palaeeudyptinae as delimited (i.e., including Anthropornis nordenskjoeldi ). The oldest well-described giant penguin, the 5-foot (1.5 m)-tall Icadyptes salasi , existed as far north as northern Peru about 36 mya. Gigantic penguins had disappeared by

6816-473: The penguin-like plotopterids (usually considered relatives of cormorants and anhingas ) may actually be a sister group of the penguins and those penguins may have ultimately shared a common ancestor with the Pelecaniformes and consequently would have to be included in that order, or that the plotopterids were not as close to other pelecaniforms as generally assumed, which would necessitate splitting

6912-408: The penguins, but are an example of convergent evolution . Around one in 50,000 penguins (of most species) are born with brown rather than black plumage. These are called isabelline penguins. Isabellinism is different from albinism. Isabelline penguins tend to live shorter lives than normal penguins, as they are not well-camouflaged against the deep and are often passed over as mates. Penguins for

7008-594: The penguins, puffins have a white chest, black back and short stubby wings providing excellent swimming ability in icy water. But, unlike penguins, puffins can fly, as flightless birds would not survive alongside land-based predators such as polar bears and foxes; there are no such predators in the Antarctic. Their similarities indicate that similar environments, although at great distances, can result in similar evolutionary developments, i.e. convergent evolution . Penguins are superbly adapted to aquatic life. Their wings have evolved to become flippers, useless for flight in

7104-400: The placement of the penguins in the avian phylogeny is presently resolved, this is confusing, so the established Linnean system is followed here. The number of penguin species is typically listed as between seventeen and nineteen. The International Ornithologists' Union recognizes six genera and eighteen species: Although the evolutionary and biogeographic history of Sphenisciformes

7200-543: The planting of fire-resistant indigenous vegetation in and around the nesting sites. Thus far this planting has occurred primarily in the <10% of the colony most visible from tourist look-out points In 1997 in NSW, the Eudyptula minor was listed as an endangered species under the endangered species act 1995. Since then conservation efforts such as public education, nest monitoring and labelling it as ‘critical habitat’ were implemented. Despite these efforts, this mainland colony

7296-625: The population of Eudyptula novaehollandiae in Otago arrived even more recently than previously estimated due to mulitlocus coalescent analyses. Outside of the Otago region, all colonies are expected to belong to the sub species Eudyptula novaehollandiae Many of these colonies are smaller and more patchily distributed than larger Eudyptula minor colonies that exist in Australia and Otago. Extensive research exists on Philip Island and Oamaru colonies as they are sites of large colonies which attract large groups of tourists Population size and trends of colonies in New Zealand remain poorly documented, what

7392-545: The risk it poses to little penguins and their habitat. Protesters claimed that they exhausted all legal means to oppose the project and have had to resort to occupation and non-violent resistance. Several arrests have been made for trespassing. The West Coast Penguin Trust and DOC have worked in collaboration to maintain data on penguin mortality, the West Coast South Island colonies are highlighted as one of

7488-518: The same family and order as the great auk. They were classified in 1831 by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in several distinct genera within the family Spheniscidae and order Sphenisciformes . The family name of Spheniscidae was given by Charles Lucien Bonaparte from the genus Spheniscus , the name of that genus comes from the Greek word σφήν sphēn " wedge " used for the shape of an African penguin 's swimming flippers. Some recent sources apply

7584-440: The same nest or colony. They are also a species where both parents are required to raise chicks, and alternate foraging trips while the other is guarding and incubating the nest during the post guard stage. These stints can last anywhere between 1–10 days during incubation. Despite nesting on the shore, little penguins forage at sea and feed on a diet ranging from small schooling fish, to cephalopods, krill, and microzooplankton. As

7680-485: The same species, called Eudyptula minor . Analysis of mtDNA in 2002 revealed two clades in Eudyptula : one containing little penguins of New Zealand's North Island , Cook Strait and Chatham Island , as well as the white-flippered penguin, and a second containing little penguins of Australia and the Otago region of New Zealand. Preliminary analysis of braying calls and cluster analysis of morphometrics partially supported these results. A 2016 study described

7776-403: The sea floor. Foraging efficiency has been found to be significantly influenced by age. Foraging success appears to stabilise selection for middle-aged penguins, as feeding is a learnt behaviour but also requires good physical condition. For the Philip Island and other Southern Australian colonies, anchovies are the primary food source. Anchovies are rich in oils and nutritional value. Although

7872-421: The shore than middle aged adults When foraging in groups, they were also observed to all be of a similar age cohort, likely that when the prey available is small schooling prey and is more advantageous for penguins to forage as a group If the groups are segregated by age, this is likely because they are at the same foraging ability and occupy the same approximate range Introduced mammalian predators present

7968-423: The species is widely distributed across a range of habitats in New Zealand and Australia, variation in diet and foraging choice has also arisen. Important little penguin prey items include arrow squid , slender sprat , Graham's gudgeon , red cod , and ahuru . Little penguins feed by hunting small clupeoid fish, cephalopods , and crustaceans , for which they travel and dive quite extensively, including to

8064-544: The strong adaptive autapomorphies of the Sphenisciformes; a sometimes perceived fairly close relationship between penguins and grebes is almost certainly an error based on both groups' strong diving adaptations, which are homoplasies . On the other hand, different DNA sequence datasets do not agree in detail with each other either. What seems clear is that penguins belong to a clade of Neoaves (living birds except for paleognaths and fowl ) that comprises what

8160-468: The sub species of little penguin the Eudyptula novaehollandiae are disproportionally researched more than others because they occur in large colonies which such as the Philip Island penguin parade, and the Oamaru penguin colony which have attracted international and local tourism and are understanding their behaviours are important to economic success In a study carried out on Oamaru penguin colony found double broods to increase breeding success by up to 75%

8256-641: The surface in dives that normally last only one or two minutes. Larger penguins can dive deep in case of need. Emperor penguins are the world's deepest-diving birds. They can dive to depths of approximately 550 meters (1,800 feet) while searching for food. Penguins either waddle on their feet or slide on their bellies across the snow while using their feet to propel and steer themselves, a movement called "tobogganing", which conserves energy while moving quickly. They also jump with both feet together if they want to move more quickly or cross steep or rocky terrain. Penguins have an average sense of hearing for birds; this

8352-406: The surface there was a delay in the onset of breeding for the Eudyptula novaehollaniae , thus resulting in a lower incidence of double brooding in the Otago colonies. Age is also believed to be a factor effecting double brooding because the pairs successfully able to double brood were most commonly strategic in reclaiming successful nests and pair-bonds. Little penguins show a high nest fidelity, and

8448-556: The traditional Pelecaniformes into three. A 2014 analysis of whole genomes of 48 representative bird species has concluded that penguins are the sister group of Procellariiformes, from which they diverged about 60 million years ago (95% CI, 56.8–62.7). The distantly related Puffins , which live in the North Pacific and North Atlantic, developed similar characteristics to survive in the Arctic and sub-Arctic environments. Like

8544-491: The weight of a penguin egg, presumably to reduce the effects of dehydration and to minimize the risk of breakage in an adverse nesting environment. The yolk, too, is large and comprises 22–31% of the egg. Some yolk often remains when a chick is born, and is thought to help sustain the chick if the parents are delayed in returning with food. When emperor penguin mothers lose a chick, they sometimes attempt to "steal" another mother's chick, usually unsuccessfully as other females in

8640-475: Was a great diversity of species in subantarctic regions, and at least one giant species in a region around 2,000 km south of the equator 35  mya , during the Late Eocene , a climate decidedly warmer than today. The word penguin first appears in literature at the end of the 16th century as a synonym for the great auk . When European explorers discovered what are today known as penguins in

8736-417: Was and whether or not it needed preening, so their presence in penguins may seem inconsistent, but penguins also preen extensively. The emperor penguin has the largest body mass of all penguins, which further reduces relative surface area and heat loss. They also are able to control blood flow to their extremities, reducing the amount of blood that gets cold, but still keeping the extremities from freezing. In

8832-645: Was dated to 42 mya. An unnamed fossil from Argentina proves that, by the Bartonian (Middle Eocene), some 39–38 mya, primitive penguins had spread to South America and were in the process of expanding into Atlantic waters. During the Late Eocene and the Early Oligocene (40–30 mya), some lineages of gigantic penguins existed. Nordenskjoeld's giant penguin was the tallest, growing nearly 1.80 meters (5.9 feet) tall. The New Zealand giant penguin

8928-770: Was ended by the Middle Miocene Climate Transition , a sharp drop in global average temperature from 14 to 12 mya, and similar abrupt cooling events followed at 8 mya and 4 mya; by the end of the Tortonian, the Antarctic ice sheet was already much like today in volume and extent. The emergence of most of today's Subantarctic penguin species almost certainly was caused by this sequence of Neogene climate shifts. Penguin ancestry beyond Waimanu remains unknown and not well-resolved by molecular or morphological analyses. The latter tend to be confounded by

9024-481: Was first described by German naturalist Johann Reinhold Forster in 1781. Several subspecies are known, but a precise classification of these is still a matter of dispute. The holotypes of the subspecies E. m. variabilis and Eudyptula minor chathamensis are in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa . The white-flippered penguin ( E. m. albosignata or E. m. minor morpha albosignata )

9120-647: Was met with additional challenges from threats from wild dogs and foxes, to lack of available local prey. Species is now listed as at-risk declining under the same act Zoological exhibits featuring purpose-built enclosures for Eudyptula species can be seen in Australia at the Adelaide Zoo , Melbourne Zoo , the National Zoo & Aquarium in Canberra , Perth Zoo , Caversham Wildlife Park (Perth), Ballarat Wildlife Park , Sea Life Sydney Aquarium , and

9216-606: Was probably the heaviest, weighing 80 kilograms (180 lb) or more. Both were found on New Zealand, the former also in the Antarctic farther eastwards. Traditionally, most extinct species of penguins, giant or small, had been placed in the paraphyletic subfamily called Palaeeudyptinae . More recently, with new taxa being discovered and placed in the phylogeny if possible, it is becoming accepted that there were at least two major extinct lineages. One or two closely related ones occurred in Patagonia , and at least one other—which

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