Penguins are one of the most ancient birds on Earth. They represent a separate group of birds, separated into a separate order of Penguinidae. There are 16 species of penguins in the world.

King penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus).

The size of these birds ranges from 40 cm in length and a weight of 1.5-2 kg for the little penguin to more than a meter in length and a weight of 35-40 kg for the emperor penguin. The body of penguins is elongated and streamlined, the neck is short and thick, the head is proportional in size with a sharp beak. The wings are short, flipper-shaped, and the legs are very short with swimming membranes between the toes. Penguins' legs are not located in the middle of the body like all birds, but are placed far back. Because of this, penguins are forced to keep their bodies vertical to maintain balance. Penguins are flightless birds, but their bodies have a lot of muscle mass. The pectoral muscles of penguins make up 25% of their body weight, which is significantly more than that of birds capable of flight. The skeleton also has significant differences: the bones of penguins are heavy and similar to the bones of marine mammals. Of course, all these signs indicate the excellent adaptability of penguins to the aquatic lifestyle.

King penguin with chick.

All types of penguins have the same color - the head, back and wings are painted in dark colors (usually black or gray), the underside of the body is white. Some species have additional decorations in the form of tufts of golden feathers on the sides of the head. The nature of the plumage indicates a certain primitiveness of penguins: their feathers are located evenly over the entire surface of the body, while in other birds they grow in rows - pterilia. The feathers themselves are short and very hard, resembling scales. The tail plumage of these birds is so strong that penguins can lean on the tail with the entire weight of their body, like woodpeckers.

Golden-haired penguin (Eudyptes chrysolophus).

You can meet penguins in Antarctica, on the adjacent islands and the coast of South America. True, some species have moved further north. Thus, Galapagos penguins inhabited the islands of the same name, and spectacled penguins live on the southern coast of Africa. But these species settle only where there are cold ocean currents. Different species of penguins live in different landscapes: most live on the rocky coasts of islands and continents, but some species can be found on sandy beaches, in thickets of grass, and the magnificent penguin even in coastal forests. The emperor penguin generally nests in the Antarctic deserts in the interior of the continent.

Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) among dense grass.

All species of penguins are social birds, forming colonies of several hundred to a million individuals. These birds have a friendly character, except when during nesting they quarrel due to lack of space.

Listen penguin voices.

A densely populated colony of king penguins.

To keep warm, penguins often stand on their tails and heels, with their paws raised above the ground. On land, penguins move slowly; due to the vertical position of the body and short legs, they mince in small, clumsy steps. But these birds can also make short jumps, storming coastal cliffs. If the penguin is “in a hurry,” it switches to cruising planing, lying on its stomach on the ice and pushing off with its hind legs.

Moving on their stomachs, penguins can reach speeds of up to 6 km/h.

However, all the clumsiness of the birds disappears as soon as they find themselves in the water. Penguins are the most perfect of all swimming birds! In the water, these birds give the impression of fish: they easily and naturally glide through its thickness, periodically jumping out of the water like dolphins to gain speed; They dive to depths of up to 100 m! Penguins feed on crustaceans or fish, and they catch them on the move. In search of food, they can spend several hours in the water, swimming up to 25 km per day.

The breeding season for most species is in the spring or early summer, but smaller penguin species may have two clutches per year. A special exception are emperor penguins, in which mating occurs in the fall, and incubation of eggs and feeding of chicks in winter! Penguins are monogamous birds; they form permanent pairs that remain faithful for many years. Males call their girlfriends with loud cries, and sometimes seduce them with gifts - pebbles for the future nest, brought in their beaks.

Subantarctic penguins (Pygoscelis papua) make calling calls during snowstorms.

Penguin nests come in two types. Those species that form large colonies nest next to each other, at a distance of a meter; the nests in this case represent a primitive hole or hummock, poorly decorated with available material (pebbles and other debris).

A pair of golden-haired penguins on a nest.

Species that do not form colonies of many thousands build nests at some distance from each other (at a distance of 10-30 m), and the nest is located in a burrow.

Magellanic penguin with chick at the nest.

More often, penguins have 1-2 eggs. The chicks hatch covered in gray down. Parents take turns warming the chicks and bringing them food. Since the colonies of these birds can be located at a distance from the shore, parents visit their offspring infrequently (sometimes once every 2 days), but bring a large amount of food at a time.

Subantarctic penguin with offspring.

Emperor penguins that breed in winter are forced to do without a nest at all: they incubate a single egg on their own paws, covering it with a special fold on their stomach. Moreover, birds of this species nest in the depths of the continent, so they starve throughout the incubation period. Males and females bear the parental burden alternately: first, the males incubate the eggs, and the females fatten up in the sea, then the ladies change partners and feed the chicks.

An emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) holds a chick on its paws.

Grown-up chicks gather in children's groups under the protection of several adult birds. The process of feeding chicks is protracted and mature chicks can even exceed adults in size. But then the parents leave them to their own devices and the chicks learn to get food on their own.

Penguins have many natural enemies. In the water, they can be attacked by killer whales and sharks, and one species of seal, the leopard seal, is completely specialized in feeding on these birds.

A leopard seal chases a penguin.

On land, penguins face another threat: skuas and petrels are robbing their colonies. These birds steal both eggs and chicks, the mortality rate of which reaches 50-70%.

Skuas attacked a defenseless penguin.

The mother is desperately trying to protect the chick.

The female managed to repel the attack of the skuas.

Humans also contributed to the destruction of penguins. Previously, the colonies of these birds were ravaged by sailors and local residents in order to collect eggs and chicks, from which the fat was rendered. Galapagos and magnificent penguins are now endangered due to habitat disturbance.

Subantarctic penguins are covered in snow.

to a colony of king penguins.

There are 18 species of penguins. In this article we will look at the main types of penguins with a brief description. And in this article the life of penguins is described in more detail, since they basically have the same lifestyle and habits. Let's look at the distinctive features below.

The emperor penguin is the largest representative of the penguins. It can reach a height of up to 140 cm, and its weight can exceed 40 kg. Females are slightly smaller than males. It is distinguished by orange coloring on the neck and cheeks. Chicks are born with gray or white down. Emperor penguins are capable of diving to depths of about 500 meters. They hunt in groups.

The Emperor Penguin egg hatches for 70-100 days. First the female sits on the egg, then the male replaces her. A penguin can sit on an egg for up to 50 days without eating. After being replaced by another penguin, the second parent goes to sea to hunt. They live on the continent of Antarctica.

Slightly smaller than Emperor penguins are King penguins. Their height is approximately 1 meter, and their weight ranges around 20 kg. They are distinguished from other penguins by bright orange spots on their cheeks and neck. King penguin chicks have brown down when they are born.

During the courtship dance, the male makes loud sounds and raises his head up so that the female can see orange spots, which indicate sexual maturity. When the female becomes interested in the penguin, they begin to dance together. Their heads go up and down, and then they put their heads on each other's necks. Mating lasts only up to 10 seconds, and the process of dancing and mating is repeated again.

A representative of this penguin species is quite small. The penguin's height reaches only 60 cm, and its body weight reaches 3 kg. This penguin is distinguished by a yellow stripe of feathers above its eyes, as well as protruding black feathers on its head, which create a shaggy effect. The penguin's eyes are red. Divided into the southern crested and northern crested penguins.

Medium sized penguin. A distinctive feature is the golden tufts of feathers above the eyes and on the head. At the same time, the black feathers do not stick out, only the gold ones. The height of such a penguin is approximately 70-80 cm, and its weight reaches 5-6 kg. The eggs hatch for 35 days. Also, parents replace each other during incubation.

The smallest member of the penguin family. The height of such penguins is usually up to 40 cm, and their weight is up to 1.5 kg. It differs in the color of the feathers on the back, wings and head - they are dark blue. This species of penguin has become famous for the most faithful relationships between penguin pairs. Sometimes loyalty lasts a lifetime. Little penguins live in the south of mainland Australia. While on sandy beaches, they can dig holes. Penguins dive shallowly - only up to 50 meters deep. The eggs hatch for 30-40 days. After 50-60 days, the chicks are ready for independent life.

A representative of this species is 70-80 cm tall and weighs up to 7 kg. Distinguished from other penguins by the yellow stripe around the eyes. The beak and paws are red. Unlike other penguins, they rarely form colonies. A very rare species of penguin. Their number is estimated at only about 4,000 pairs. The species is endangered. In 2004, for unknown reasons, 50-75% of all hatched chicks died.

It is also a representative of the medium-sized penguins. Height is 60-70 cm, and weight is approximately 7 kg. A distinctive feature of this penguin is the white ring of feathers around its eyes. They live a little over 10 years. Lives on the continent of Antarctica.

A bit close to Adelie penguins. Height is approximately 60-70 cm, but weight is smaller - up to about 5 kg. Distinguished by a white stripe of feathers on the head, which extends from ear to ear. The male also incubates the eggs alternately with the female for about 35 days. It is this type of penguin that is capable of moving away from the coast into the open sea at distances of up to 1000 km. And they are capable of diving to a depth of 200-250 meters.

The Gentoo penguin is one of the largest penguin species. Its height reaches up to 90 cm, and its weight can reach 9 kg. Females are smaller than males. It is distinguished by a white patch of feathers near the eyes. They are record holders for underwater swimming. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 36 km/h! They dive to a depth of 200 meters.

It is a unique representative of the penguin species. And its uniqueness lies in its habitat. This is the only species of penguin that lives only a few tens of kilometers from the equator. The air temperature there ranges from 19-28 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature is 22-25 degrees. The Galapagos penguins themselves are quite small. Their height is up to 50 centimeters and their weight is up to 2.5 kilograms. A stripe of white feathers runs from the neck to the eyes. Unfortunately, this species is endangered. There are only about 2,000 adult pairs.

Types of penguins video:

These penguins are also called Donkey penguin, African penguin or Black-footed penguin. Makes sounds very similar to the sounds of a donkey. Lives in the south of the continent of Africa. The height of penguins of this species ranges up to 70 cm, and their weight is approximately 5 kg. A distinctive feature of these penguins is a narrow black stripe on their belly in the shape of a horseshoe. Around the eyes there is a pattern similar to glasses.

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When it comes to penguins - these flightless seabirds - the imagination usually pictures the white expanses of Antarctica and the icy waters of the ocean. However, the continent at the south pole is not the only habitat for these cute birds. About eighteen species settled in different parts of the southern hemisphere of the planet. The most famous among them is the imperial one - the largest in the family.

It grows up to 110-120 cm. The smallest is the little penguin. Compared to the imperial one, it is simply a dwarf with a height of 30-45 cm. In prehistoric times, there were about 40 more species that are now extinct.

You don't have to go on a polar expedition to meet black and white waterfowl. Test yourself to see if you know where penguins live and what they are like, why they are not afraid of polar bears and who is the main enemy of flightless birds.

In Antarctica and nearby islands live emperor penguin And Adele. The ocean is a kind of dining room. Although these birds are excellent swimmers and feed on fish and crustaceans in coastal waters, they do not swim far. Being social creatures, they sometimes gather in huge colonies, some of which number about tens of thousands of individuals. In a large group it is easier to survive and raise offspring.

Apart from Antarctica, penguins are home to:

• New Zealand;
• Australia (south);
• South America (west coast);
• southern Africa;
• The Galapagos Islands, located, by the way, closer to the equator.

It's unlikely you'll ever get to Kerguelen, Macquarie, Heard, or the South Sandwich Islands to see king penguin. The most accessible place for observation is the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. There you will meet golden-headed And Magellanic penguins.

Falkland Islands - territory gentoo penguin.

The Galapagos is the northernmost point of the range where the species of the same name lives.

Once in Tasmania or on the South American coast, you can meet crested penguin. It also lives on the islands of the Subantarctic. The species got its name from its bright yellow feathers that resemble bushy eyebrows. This feature sets it apart from other members of the family.

South Australia and New Zealand are suitable for observing little penguin. In addition to him, in this area you can also meet him white-winged relative The south of New Zealand sheltered Victoria penguin.

Africa is traditionally associated with deserts and heat. However, from the south it is surrounded by the cold Bengal Current, thanks to which they settled in South Africa and Namibia and the nearby islands spectacled penguins. They are also called donkey because of the characteristic cry, Blackfoot or African.

When wondering where penguins live, people often confuse the names of regions. Without hesitation, they say that these birds live in the Arctic. However, the mentioned area is adjacent to the North Pole and includes the coastal zone of North America, Eurasia, and the waters of the Arctic Ocean. If you suddenly become interested in ornithology and decide to watch amazing birds in nature, don’t look for them in the Arctic!

Some people are easily confused by the question of whether polar bears eat penguins. The answer is simple - no. Polar bears live in the Arctic, i.e. they are common at the opposite pole of the Earth. The polar bear and the emperor penguin have never met in the wild and are unaware of each other's existence. The natural enemies of black and white birds in Antarctica and other regions are leopard seals, lions and seals, killer whales and sharks that lie in wait for prey in the ocean depths. On land, the greatest danger to the young is the brown skua and some gulls. But polar bears hunt sea animals - seals, walruses, bearded seals - in their Arctic.

After the release of the cartoon “Penguins of Madagascar”, users began to wonder whether cold-loving birds really live on this island? There are no penguins in Madagascar, located east of the African continent. They were sent there by the imagination of DreamWorks studio animators, and even then as adventurers, not aborigines.

In the Soviet-Japanese cartoon “The Adventures of Little Penguin Lolo,” the action of which takes place in Antarctica, the heroes meet king penguins. However, you already know that only the emperor penguin and the Adélie penguin live there.

Threat of extinction

It is human nature to first mindlessly destroy and then try to preserve what remains. Once upon a time, penguins were killed en masse for their subcutaneous fat and their eggs were collected. Now, although the hunt has stopped, new dangers have arisen. Due to human activity, where penguins live, the habitat of these amazing birds is being reduced and the balance of the ecosystem is being disrupted. Feathered fish hunters have to compete with fishing boats. Penguins are suffering due to oil spills. As a result of the negative influence of civilization, three species (crested, magnificent, Galapagos) were declared endangered at the beginning of this century. Another seven species are considered endangered. Only the inhabitants of Antarctica, as well as the royal one, are out of danger. Their numbers have even increased due to the decline in the population of baleen whales due to active hunting of them.

In the northern hemisphere, penguins can only be seen in the zoo, and only here do polar bears become their neighbors. In captivity, birds are provided with appropriate conditions for life. On the one hand, due to the absence of natural enemies, they are able to live to their maximum age. On the other hand, zoos pose a different kind of danger - a fungal infection that affects the respiratory system. To protect penguins from this scourge, they are kept behind glass. Only with careful observance of all conditions of detention, which only professionals can provide, can a long life for a penguin in captivity be guaranteed.

Memory poem

If, after everything you've read, you still can't remember where polar bears live and where penguins live, read this short poem:

This is the continent of Antarctica.

There are two types of penguins here.

The largest is the imperial one,

He hunts fish expertly.

Others, smaller ones - Adele,

What black tailcoats they wore.

But if you are very brave,

You dream of white bears -

Then you are in the north, in the Arctic,

Get to know them in practice.

Remember - polar bears and penguins live in opposite hemispheres of the Earth!

Video about where penguins live

Many events from the history of navigation and exploration of the Southern Ocean are associated with penguins, and the names of some species have a romantic origin. For example, the famous American scientist G. Simpson devoted many pages to this topic in his book “Penguins.” By the way, penguins did not receive their current name right away. This was the original name of the great auk, a bird from the auk family that lived in the North Atlantic until the mid-19th century. The auk had a completely “penguin” coloration - white chest and belly, dark back and head. On land she also behaved like a penguin, i.e. almost vertical. The auk could not fly, and its wings looked like small flippers. Pin-wing, i.e. hairpin-wing - this, according to one version, is the origin of the name penguin. And in the scientific literature, the great auk appears under the “penguin” name - Pinguinus impennis.

As G. Simpson writes, the first Europeans to see real southern penguins were the sailors of Vasco da Gama's expeditions - in 1497. off the southern coast of Africa, and Magellan - in 1520. off the southeastern coast of South America. In the descriptions of these voyages, penguins have not yet appeared under their modern name. Strange, but most often unusual birds were compared to geese. Only at the end of the 16th century. southern birds began to be called penguins and this name was transferred to the southern hemisphere, apparently, by English sailors who were familiar with the great auk. To avoid confusion, the famous French naturalist Buffon introduced in the 18th century. for southern birds the name is manshota, i.e. clumsy. But it did not become widespread, and a word similar in sound to ours has long been established in most languages. And there is no one else to confuse them with, because the great auk became extinct in the middle of the 19th century.

Types of penguins

Despite the exceptional popularity of penguins, most of their species are not distinguished by sailors. But in fairness it should be noted that this is a very difficult matter.

The largest penguin is the emperor, or Forster. It lives only on the coast of Antarctica and in the waters immediately adjacent to it. This penguin is named in honor of D. Forster, the naturalist of Captain D. Cook's round-the-world expedition. In the temperate zone it is replaced by the closely related king penguin, which nests on scattered islands in the Southern Ocean. The emperor penguin reaches 120 cm, the smaller king penguin reaches a little less than 1 m. On the sides of the neck, both species have orange spots that look like large quotation marks. The king penguin also has an orange color on the front of its neck.

The Gentoo penguin has a distribution similar to the king penguin. In addition, it nests on the Antarctic Peninsula with adjacent islands. This is a medium-sized penguin, about 75 cm high. It is easily distinguished from other species by the white stripe that runs along the crown of the head from eye to eye. In our literature, it is often mistakenly called donkey. But the real name of the Gentoo penguin is a zoological incident, because Penguins do not live in New Guinea. Under this name it was described by the same D. Forster, whose name the emperor penguin bears.

On the coast of Antarctica and in the area of ​​the Antarctic Peninsula, the most famous among penguins nests - the Adélie penguin, named after the beautiful wife of the head of the French Antarctic expedition that carried out research in the 30s of the last century, D'Urville, in whose honor one of the seas washing Antarctica is named. Adélie has a typical penguin coloring: dark tailcoat and head, snow-white belly and chest. There is a noticeable white ring around the eyes. There are no other penguin species similar to Adélie.

The Antarctic penguin, which nests on the Antarctic islands and in the area of ​​the Antarctic Peninsula, is also easily distinguished from other species. Unlike the Adelie penguin, it only has a dark cap on its head, from which a “dark” strap goes to its chin.

The Galapagos, spectacled, or donkey, Magellanic and Humboldt, or Peruvian penguins are very similar in color. The Humboldt penguin, named after the eminent German geographer, breeds along the Peruvian coast south to approximately 38 degrees south latitude. The color of its plumage is conspicuous by the white horseshoe-shaped spots running above the eye through the back of the head to the upper chest, as well as the dark stripe that intercepts the white chest and continues along the sides of the body. In the southern regions of the Pacific coast of South America it is replaced by the Magellanic penguin. But between 32 and 38 degrees south. w. The ranges of these species overlap, i.e. both species occur together. The Magellanic penguin also lives in the temperate waters of South America on the Atlantic side and on the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The alternation of white and dark stripes in this species is such that the chest is intercepted by two dark stripes, and not one, as in the Humboldt penguin.

The Humboldt penguin is similar to the donkey penguin, which lives only in the southern coast of Africa. There is no one to confuse it with here, since other types of penguins are not found in the waters of Africa. And they called him the donkey because of his loud and unpleasant cry. The Galapagos penguin is similar to the Magellanic penguin, although it is smaller in size. He lives only on the Galapagos Islands, where there are no other species of penguins.

The next related group of penguins consists of 6 species, and all have hair-like golden tufts of feathers protruding from their heads, giving these penguins, on the one hand, an exotic, and on the other, a strict appearance. the most famous of them is the crested, or “rock-hopping penguin.” It breeds on most islands throughout the temperate zone of the Southern Ocean. The yellow feathers of the crested penguin start close to the nostrils and very effectively puff up like a fan behind the eyes. The name “jumping on rocks” refers to its manner of movement - pushing off with both legs at once. He even jumps into the water from the shore like a “soldier,” and does not dive like other penguins.

On the islands of the temperate zone of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean sectors of the Southern Ocean and in the area of ​​the Antarctic Peninsula, the golden-haired Yellow penguin lives, or rather, it has more golden feathers on its head than the crested penguin. Their tufts start from the middle of the eyes and, like hair, fall behind the eyes to the back.

The Schlegel penguin has the same golden-haired hairstyle, the distribution of which is limited to Macquarie Island, located slightly south of the New Zealand plateau. it is easily distinguished by the white sides of its head. The remaining 3 species of this group live in the area of ​​New Zealand south of Cook Strait. These are the Snare crested penguin, the thick-billed or Victoria penguin and the great crested penguin. The first two species are indistinguishable from a distance. Their yellow feathers look like thick eyebrows, somewhat widening at the back of the head, and in the large crested penguin the “eyebrows” stick up.

The southern part of New Zealand is home to the magnificent or yellow-eyed penguin. On his head, a yellow stripe runs across the crown from eye to eye. The rest of the head is also mottled yellowish.

All the penguins listed above, except for the emperor and king, are of average size - about 65-75 cm. Only the Galapagos penguin is smaller - about 50 cm. But he is not the smallest either. There are two more species, the height of which is only about 40 cm. These are the blue or small and white-winged penguins. The first lives around the main islands of New Zealand, on the Chatham Islands and off the southern coast of Australia, the second - only off the east coast of New Zealand. Compared to other penguins, they are inconspicuous in appearance - white bottom, bluish monochromatic top. Young birds of all penguin species have less contrasting colors.

All penguins have a streamlined body, well-developed muscles and wings that act like propellers underwater. The keel is clearly defined on the sternum. The feet are large and short with a swimming membrane: on land, penguins often rest standing on their heels; the rigid plumage of the tail also serves as support for them. Penguins have a very short tail, since their steering function is performed by their legs, unlike other seabirds.

The plumage of most species on the back is grayish-blue, which turns into black, and the belly is white. This color serves as a good camouflage for penguins. The cubs are gray or brown, sometimes with white sides and belly.

Penguins change plumage after hatching eggs and raising young. During the molting period, birds shed many feathers at once and become unable to swim, which is why they are deprived of the opportunity to obtain food for themselves until new feathers grow.

All penguins have a thick layer of fat, 2-3 cm, above which there are three layers of feathers: short, dense, waterproof. This reliable thermal insulation protects birds from exposure to extreme temperatures in their habitats.

Beneath the surface of the water, penguins make virtually no sounds; on land, they communicate using cries that are similar to the sounds of trumpets and rattles.

The main food of penguins is fish: Antarctic silverfish, anchovies or sardines, as well as crustaceans (euphausiids, krill), small cephalopods. Penguins catch and swallow such prey right under water.

Species that feed on small crustaceans require regular feeding. And penguins, who eat large fish, spend much less time and energy on hunting.

During the period of plumage change, and in some species also during hatching of chicks, birds completely refuse food. This period of fasting lasts from one month for Adélie and crested penguins to three and a half months for emperors. At the same time, penguins lose about half of their body weight, as they use the energy of their fat reserves.

Penguins drink sea water. And excess salt is released through special glands that are located above their eyes.

Bird distribution

Penguins are common in the open sea of ​​the Southern Hemisphere (coastal waters of Antarctica, New Zealand, southern Australia, South Africa, on the coast of South America from the Falkland Islands to Peru, on the Galapagos Islands).

These birds prefer cool climates, so they can appear in tropical latitudes only with cold currents

The warmest place where penguins live is the Galapagos Islands, which are located near the equator.

Common types of penguins

Body length 55-65 cm, weight from 2 to 3 kg. It lives on the islands of the Subantarctic, Tasmania and Tierra del Fuego, on the mainland coast of South America.

The plumage color is white below and bluish-black above. Narrow yellow “eyebrows” ending in tassels are noticeable on the face. There are black feathers on the top of the head. The wings are strong and narrow. The eyes are small. The legs are short.

Body length from 55 to 60 cm, weight 2-5 kg ​​(average 3 kg).

The head and body are black, the belly is white, and there are white spots on the cheeks. There are cross-shaped yellow stripes at the base of the beak. The chicks are grayish-brown on the back with a white breast and belly.

The species is widespread on the Stewart and Solander Islands and in New Zealand.

Endemic to the small Snares Archipelago, with an area of ​​3.3 km², it is the smallest range of all penguins. About 30,000 pairs live in this territory.

Body length is about 55 cm, weight up to 4 kg. The back is black, the belly is white, the beak is red. There is a yellow crest above the eyes.

Medium sized penguin. Adults are 70 cm in length and weigh about 6 kg. This species nests only on Macquarie Island. But it spends most of its life in the open ocean.

Externally, the Schlegel penguin resembles a golden-haired penguin.

The bird's body length reaches 65 cm, weight from 4 to 5 kg. Females are smaller than males in size. The chicks are grayish-brown on the back and white on the belly. The plumage on the back, wings and head is black, the chin, throat and cheeks are white. From the nostrils through the dark red eyes along the top of the head there are two light yellow tufts. Unlike its closest relatives, the penguin can move its feather decoration.

Lives near Australia and New Zealand, nesting on the Antipodes, Bounty, Campbell and Auckland islands. The species is listed in the Red Book as endangered.

Body length is from 65 to 76 cm, body weight is about 5 kg. The back and head are feathered black, the belly is white, and above the eyes there are tufts of golden-yellow feathers that form a characteristic crest.

Golden-haired penguins live in colonies in the southern Atlantic and Indian oceans. They nest on the islands of South Georgia, South Shetland, South Orkney, and South Sandwich.

Body length is from 30 to 40 cm, average weight is 1.5 kg. The head, upper back and wings are blue. The back is dark, almost black, the chest and top of the legs are light gray or white. The beak is dark gray. Young birds are distinguished by a short beak and light color.

The species is distributed along the coasts of South Australia and New Zealand, as well as on nearby islands

A small species, up to 30 cm in length, weighing about 1.5 kg. Outwardly it resembles a small penguin, from which it differs in white spots on its flippers.

Breeds exclusively on Banks Peninsula and Motunau Island (New Zealand).

Body length is from 70 to 75 cm, weight reaches 7 kg. The head is covered with feathers of golden yellow and black, the chin and throat are brown. The plumage on the back is black, on the chest - white, the legs and beak are red. The species got its name “yellow-eyed” because of the yellow stripe near the eyes.

A rare species, it lives on islands from the south of the South Island to the Campbell Archipelago.

Body length is about 70 cm, weight up to 6 kg. The back is black, the belly is white. There is a noticeable white ring around the eyes.

The breeding range of the species includes the coast of Antarctica and the nearest islands: South Shetland and Orkney.

Body length is from 60 to 70 cm, weight is about 4.5 kg. The back and head behind are dark gray, almost black, the belly is white. There is a thin black stripe on the neck, from ear to ear. The chicks are covered with gray down.

The distribution area of ​​this species is the coast of Antarctica from South America.

The largest species after the emperor and king penguins. Males reach a weight of 9 kg, females - 7.5 kg, body length ranges from 75 to 90 cm. The back is black, the belly is white. The beak is orange-red or red with a black tip, the legs are orange or dark orange.

Breeds on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Kerguelen, Heard, South Orkney, Prince Edward and South Sandwich Islands.

The largest representative of its kind. Its body length is 65-70 cm, weight is from 3 to 5 kg. The back is black, the belly is white. On the chest down to the paws there is a narrow black stripe in the shape of a horseshoe.

The species is distributed on the coast of South Africa and Namibia and nearby islands.

Body length is about 50 cm, weight up to 2.5 kg. The head and back are painted black, a white stripe stretches from the throat up to the head and to the eyes, and the belly is white. The mandible and the tip of the mandible are black, the mandible and the skin around the eyes are pinkish-yellow.

The habitat of this species is unique - the Galapagos Islands, located near the equator.

Medium sized bird. The head and back are black, and there is a wide black ring on the white belly. On the sides of the head, through the forehead and throat, there are narrow white rings, the so-called “spectacles”. The beak is black with a red base, the legs are black.

The species breeds in Chile and Peru.

Body length from 70 to 80 cm, weight from 5 to 6 kg. The back is painted black, the belly is white, and there are one or two black stripes on the neck. The beak and legs are dirty gray, with a red or orange tint.

Breeds on the Patagonian coast, Tierra del Fuego, Juan Fernandez and Falkland Islands.

Penguins are not characterized by sexual dimorphism. Occasionally, males and females differ in size. They are identical in plumage color.

Penguins nest in large colonies of ten thousand pairs or more. The age of nesting depends on the specific species, and the incubation time depends on the climatic conditions of the habitat.

Penguins living near the equator hatch chicks all year round, while others can only lay two clutches a year. The main nesting period is spring – autumn.

Males arrive at the colony earlier than females and occupy a small territory of about one square meter. Then they begin to attract the attention of females and emit cries that resemble the sound of a trumpet. Penguins often recreate last year's pairings, although they are not strictly monogamous birds.

Females lay eggs, one or two, in a nest, which is made of grass and small pebbles. Penguin eggs are white or greenish.

The duration of incubation is from one to two months. Both the male and the female take part in it, and they change, since the birds do not eat the eggs during incubation.

The first few weeks after birth, one of the parents watches the babies, while the other searches for food. Then the young animals form small groups, which are looked after by adults for some time.

Then the adult birds begin to molt, and the young birds move on to independent life.

The average life expectancy of penguins is about 25 years.

Interesting facts about the bird

• The average speed that a penguin can develop in water is 5-10 km/h. The fastest way of movement among penguins is called “dolphin swimming”; in this case, the bird jumps out of the water for a short time.
• During a day of hunting, a penguin swims about 27 km and spends about 80 minutes at a depth of more than 3 meters. The gentoo penguin can stay underwater for one to two minutes and dives to a depth of about 20 meters, but the emperor penguin remains underwater for up to 18 minutes and dives to a depth of about 500 meters.
• Coming out of the water onto the shore, penguins can jump to a height of up to 1.8 m. On land they waddle, and on ice they move quickly and cheerfully - they slide down slides while lying on their stomachs.
• In Central Europe and Russia, penguins are found only in zoos.
• The largest representative of penguins is the emperor penguin (height about 130 cm, weight up to 40 kg), and the smallest is the little penguin (height from 30 to 45 cm, weight 1-2.5 kg).