This species belongs to the penguin family and is included in the genus crested penguins. The crested penguin lives in the very north of the subantarctic zone. These birds live on the Falkland Islands, on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, on the south coast. South America, in the Auckland Islands, in the Antipodes Islands. Nesting sites are rocky areas near freshwater reservoirs and other natural water sources. This species is divided into 2 subspecies.

Description

The body length is 48-62 cm. The weight varies from 2 to 3.4 kg. The largest specimens reach a mass of 4.5 kg. The plumage is waterproof. Feathers in length reach 2.5-2.9 cm. The back of the representatives of the species is blue-black, the chest and belly are white with a slight yellowish tint. The head is black.

The beak is short and has a red-brown color. The eyes are small and dark red, the paws are pinkish, located behind the body. The wings are narrow and look like flippers. A notable feature of these birds are the peculiar long feathers on their heads. They stretch from the beak and end behind the eyes with tassels. Their color is yellow, sometimes yellow-white.

Reproduction and lifespan

This species nests in large colonies, which may contain up to 100,000 nests. The couples are monogamous. The breeding season is September - November. There are 2 eggs in the clutch different sizes. The chick that hatches from the larger egg usually survives.

The incubation period lasts about 33 days. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs. In the lower abdomen crested penguins there is a patch of skin without feathers. It provides heat transfer from the body to the eggs. After hatching, during the first 25 days, the male remains with the offspring, and the female gets food and feeds herself. After this time, the chickens are combined into small groups of "nursery". They stay there until they are fully grown.

After breeding, adult birds accumulate fat reserves and prepare for the annual molt. It takes 25 days. During this time, representatives of the species completely change their plumage. After molting, they leave the land and spend the winter months at sea. They return to the shore to start breeding again. IN wild nature crested penguin lives 10-12 years.

Behavior and nutrition

A notable feature of the representatives of the species is that, overcoming obstacles, they do not slide on them with their stomachs and do not rise with the help of wings, as other penguins do. They try to jump over boulders and cracks. TO marine life they are well adapted. They have streamlined bodies and strong wings to help them move quickly through the water. The diet consists of krill and other crustaceans. Squids, octopuses, fish are also eaten. When extracting prey, they can dive to a depth of 100 meters.

conservation status

The number of crested penguins is decreasing from year to year. Over the past 30 years, it has fallen by 34%. In the Falkland Islands, numbers have declined by 90% over the past 60 years. This is due to the growth of tourism and pollution. environment. Commercial squid harvesting also contributes to the reduction in the number of these penguins. Currently this species has a status of concern.

crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri)

Class - Birds

Squad - Piguinoid

Family - Penguins

Genus - Crested penguins

Appearance

This is an average penguin with a body length of 55-65 cm, weighing about 2-5 kg. Females are significantly inferior in size to males. Grayish-brown chicks are white below. The plumage of the penguin on the back, wings and head is black, the chin, throat and cheeks are white. Two pale yellow tufts of feathers extend from the nostrils through the dark red eyes along the crown back. Grown up chicks are somewhat different from adults, the main difference is the yellow cross on the head smaller size than in adults. It is distinguished from other crested penguins by the ability to move its feather dress.

Habitat

It lives near Australia and New Zealand, nests on the Antipodes, Bounty, Campbell and Auckland Islands.

In nature

They feed on fish - Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum), anchovies (Engraulidae) or sardines (herring family), as well as crustaceans such as euphausiids, or krill, or small cephalopods, which they hunt by swallowing directly under water.

Penguins drink mostly sea ​​water. Excess salt is excreted through special glands located above the eyes.

These penguins are among the public species. They have interesting courtship rituals, which are accompanied by low repetitive sounds - the "song". The call of the penguin is repeated at an even pace and consists of the same set of sounds. The cry of a penguin can only be heard during the daytime. Chicks also call their parents with cries, but their “song” is much shorter and not so complicated, and it is sung at higher notes.

reproduction

The large crested penguin breeds in large colonies. Males usually return to nesting sites two weeks before females. The beginning of the mating season is marked by extraordinary activity, including fights. Nesting is arranged on a flat area of ​​rocks no higher than 70 m above sea level. The female builds the nest by herself, raking out debris from under it with her paws. The male lays out the nest with stones, mud and grass. Eggs are laid from early October, laying lasts three to five days, during which time the female does not eat anything.

There are two eggs in the clutch, the second egg is larger than the first. The eggs are light blue or greenish in color, but later they turn brown. From the moment when the second egg is laid, incubation begins, which lasts 35 days. The first egg usually does not survive (in 98% of cases) so penguins only incubate one egg.

During the winter months, the penguin does not leave the cool waters of the Subantarctic, but where exactly he spends all this time has not been established. It usually nests in colonies with other crested penguin species. The rocky islands abound in many caves suitable for nesting. There is little vegetation on them, usually low grass and shrubs.

They take turns incubating: two or three days after the eggs are laid, the female leaves the nest, and the male remains on guard. This lasts three to four weeks, all this time the penguin fasts. Then the chicks hatch. The female returns to the chicks during the day to feed them by regurgitating food. In February, the chicks already have plumage and they leave the islands that gave them birth.

The average life expectancy is 10 years.

Required for penguins special conditions, requiring not only the presence of a special pool, but also a climate control system. Seemingly harmless creatures, they have a complex character and at any moment can peck or bite until they bleed. Birds are a lot of trouble. They often get sick, are very picky about food - they prefer mainly fish. Despite all the difficulties of keeping, penguins feel great in captivity.

For a comfortable stay, penguins need a cold atmosphere, a spacious swimming pool and a rocky shore. The air temperature in the pool is not higher than 15-20°C, the water temperature in the pool is 10-15°C. In addition, penguins do not tolerate the sun well, so if the enclosure is located outside, it is necessary to equip a grotto in it, where the penguins could hide during the day.

There are about 18 varieties of penguins, and each one is unique. One lives where there is ice and snow, and the other lives in hot latitudes, having its own characteristics. One is very tiny, weighing no more than a kilogram, and the other is a real giant weighing 40 kg and growing more than a meter. The characters and preferences of these birds are also quite different. Prostozoo lifts the curtain on the diversity of penguin species.

blue penguin

The blue penguin is also called the small penguin, because it is the smallest and, in combination, one of the most numerous. It is also called the elf penguin, possibly because of the blue tint on its back. Little penguins have chosen their habitat New Zealand and the coast of South Australia.

The growth of this penguin fluctuates within 40 centimeters. The baby weighs about one kilogram. Little penguins build their nests in caves or crevices. They are fond of organizing penguin parades: coming out of the water at sunset, small penguins form groups of 10-40 pieces and march in formation to their nests, shouting to their relatives and children. Blue penguins are very loyal - with the chosen partner, they can stay together for the rest of their lives.

It is also called the northern little penguin, as it is the best-known subspecies of the little penguin. It differs from other species in white stripes at both ends of the wings.

White-winged penguins live in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. They are mostly active at night, unlike other penguin species. They all go out to hunt together, but only when it gets completely dark. In search of food, they can swim away from the coast at a distance of up to 75 kilometers.

Source: nzbirdsonline.org.nz

crested penguin

Also rock, rock, or rockhopper penguin. This is a "cliff jumping penguin", because his favorite way to enter the water is to jump into it from a cliff "soldier", while other penguins prefer to dive.

This proud handsome man lives on most of the islands temperate zone Southern Ocean. Its head is adorned with beautiful yellow feathers. But the temper of the stone penguin is scandalous - if you make him angry, he will make a loud noise and even attack.

Source: www.megasite.ucoz.es

This is the most famous and unique type of penguin in color. It got its name in honor of the wife of the explorer Dumont-Durville.

The Adélie penguin builds its nest from pebbles that it can steal from careless neighbors. Settles on the coast of Antarctica and nearby islands.

In winter, Adélie penguins live on floating ice floes 700 kilometers from the coast, and in the polar summer they nest on islands near Antarctica. At the beginning of nesting, the air temperature can reach -40°C.

Source: http://penguins2009.narod.ru/

Antarctic or south polar penguin

A relative of the Adélie penguins. Very few in comparison with other species - the number of individuals reaches 7.5 thousand pairs. Distinctive feature chinstrap penguin - a black stripe along the neck from ear to ear and a black cap on the head.

They are wonderful swimmers, diving to a depth of 250 meters, and also swim 1000 kilometers into the sea. Habitat - Antarctic and subantarctic islands.

Source: http://pingvins.com/

Galapagos penguin

A distinctive feature of the Galapagos penguins is their habitat. And they live on the warm Galapagos Islands, where the air temperature reaches 28 ° C, and the water reaches 24 ° C. This is the only penguin species found in the tropics.

These penguins have a black head, and go from eye to eye down the neck. white stripe. The underside of the beak and the skin around the eyes are pink-yellow. There are very few Galapagos penguins - about 6,000 pairs. Unlike other species, this penguin has many enemies due to its small stature and habitat.

Source: http://www.awaytravel.ru/

The golden-haired or golden-haired penguin is similar to the crested penguin, but the golden-haired yellow feathers on its head are larger. English title of this species is translated as penguin-dandy. Their habitat is very extensive and has about 200 places.

Interestingly, the body weight of an adult penguin almost doubles in different time year and depending on the periods of molting and breeding. Colonies of the golden-haired penguin are really huge - up to 2.5 million birds. This is the most numerous species - more than 11.5 million pairs.

The crested penguin (rock-climbing penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome) is a species of swimming bird of the crested penguin genus; includes three subspecies: southern crested penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome), eastern crested penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome filholi), northern crested penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome moseleyi). The southern subspecies is found in the Falkland Islands, on the coast of Argentina and Chile; eastern - on the islands of Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, McDonald, Macquarie, Campbell and on the Antipodes Islands; northern - on the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Saint-Paul and the Amsterdam Islands.

This is a rather small penguin: height 55-62 cm, weight 2-3 kg. The coloration is common for penguins: blue-black back and white belly. The chicks are black and gray in the back and white in the front. On the head of adult birds there are narrow yellow "eyebrows" with tassels, especially long and shaggy in birds of the Tristan da Cunha islands. The eyes are reddish, the short convex beak is red-brown. Paws are pink, short, located behind the body, closer to the back. The plumage is waterproof, the feathers are 2.9 cm long.

Crested penguins usually form large colonies using rock ledges, lava plateaus, and large gravelly coastal slopes; often adjacent to albatrosses. On islands with a developed soil layer, they dig nesting niches and real burrows, usually under high hummocks formed by perennial grasses. Nests are lined with pebbles, grass, small bones. Usually one nest is used for several years.

Crested penguins need fresh water therefore, they often nest near fresh water bodies and springs. They start breeding in September-October in the north, in November-December in the south of the range. Crested penguins are monogamous. Pairs are formed on long years. Usually the female lays two, rarely three eggs with a break of 4-5 days. The first egg weighs about 80 g, the second about 10 g. Usually only one chick hatches. In the populations of northern and eastern crested penguins, there are practically no two chicks in a brood. In southern crested penguins, under favorable conditions, both chicks can survive. Having laid an egg, the female passes it to the male, who hides it in a fold on her stomach and does not part with it during the entire incubation period, which lasts 4 months. Having reached 10 weeks of age, the young molt and become similar to adults.

Climbing penguins feed on krill, other crustaceans, and small fish. During the incubation of eggs, the male does not leave the land, sometimes the female replaces him, sometimes he incubates all the time of incubation. It also warms newborns, and if the female does not appear on time with a portion of food, the male feeds the chick with "penguin" milk, which is formed as a result of digestion of food.

Crested penguins are rarely seen alone. Their colonies are numerous. Despite their small size, crested penguins are aggressive. Birds are noisy, making loud calls. At the end of summer, crested penguins leave the colony and spend 3-5 months at sea gaining fat.

Penguins attract tourists to the Falkland Islands and are the main attraction of the islands. Uncontrolled fishing deprives penguins of food, another factor that hinders the growth of the population is water pollution by oil and its waste. On some islands, crested penguins suffer from pigs, dogs, and foxes introduced by humans. Crested penguins have a lifespan of 10 to 25 years.