Penguins with yellow eyebrows. Encyclopedia of penguins: from small to emperor. Where do large crested penguins live in nature

25.10.2019

Penguins (Spheniscidae) belong to the family of flightless seabirds, this is the only family in the penguin-like order. It has 18 species, all of them are beautiful and unusual in their own way. For example, the crested penguin of Antarctica is truly a miracle created by nature. After all, nature is the most talented sculptor and artist who breathes life into his creations!

The large crested penguin (Fudyptes sclateri) is a very interesting creature. The name "penguin" comes from the Welsh pen, which means "head", and from the word "gwin", which means "white". Adding these two words, we get "penguin", for sweetness the letter "e" was changed to "i". Although there is another version of the origin of this name. The sailors nicknamed the funny tumblers the word "pinguis", translated from Latin - "fat". Such a nickname is quite consistent with their physique.

Crested penguin: description

These clumsy creatures are relatively small in size. The body length of a penguin is on average 60-65 cm, the weight of birds is about 2.5-3.5 kg. But it should be noted that before molting fat women gain much more, it happens that up to 6.5-7 kg. Males can be visually, even from a distance, distinguished from females by a much larger size.

The head, upper throat and cheeks of penguins are black. Two yellowish tufts of feathers, starting from the nostrils, stretch through the dark red eyes and run back along the crown. Thanks to the tufts, they are called "crested penguins", these handsome men differ from other species in the ability to move their feather decoration. The top of the body is black in color, casts blue, the bottom is contrasting white. The wings-fins are bluish-black with a white border around the edges. The beak is thin and rather long, brownish, closer to orange.

Where do large crested penguins live in nature?

Cute crested penguins are found in nature near New Zealand and Australia. They prefer to arrange their nests on Antipodes, Auckland and Campbell. During the winter months, they do not leave the cold waters of Antarctica.

They nest in large colonies with other crested penguin species. The islands favored by land birds are rocky, with many caves in the rocks suitable for building nests for penguins. It is in such caves that future feathered parents carefully build places for hatching offspring.

reproduction

As mentioned earlier, crested penguins breed in large colonies. In the place where it is planned to arrange nesting (a flat section of rocks no higher than 65-70 m above sea level), males come first, after two weeks females join them. During the reunion, fights between males begin, as the beginning of the mating season is celebrated annually in the penguin kingdom.

When passions subside, married couples start building a nest. First, the female, having picked up a place, removes garbage from it with her paws. The male is given the "male" hard work, he brings material consisting of stones, grass and mud. From all this, the future father of the family lays out a nest.

In early October, egg laying begins, which lasts 3-4 days. Mother penguin lays two eggs, one small and one large. During laying, the female does not eat anything. When the eggs are already in the nest, incubation begins for 35 days. The first egg in 98 percent of cases disappears, and the remaining second hatches.

After sitting on the eggs for 2-3 days, the expectant mother leaves to look for food, the male remains on duty in the nest, all responsibility falls on him. For 3-4 weeks, a caring father does not eat anything, he cannot leave the nest, otherwise the eggs will freeze. So the poor fellow has to fast, waiting for the return of the female. During this time, the handsome crested man is losing weight, if his wife does not return on time, he may die of hunger.

After this period, if the female's trip ends successfully, she returns to her husband and the hatched chick (very rarely there are two chicks). The male leaves the family and goes off in search of food to gain back the weight he has lost. Crested mother penguin feeds babies by regurgitating food, keeps them warm and cares for them. In February, the fledgling grown babies leave the shelter in which they were born.

Moult

A very entertaining moment in the life of penguins is molting, this phenomenon is very long, and they are preparing for it already in February. After the chicks leave the nest, adult birds leave and leave to feed before molting in the sea for a whole month. After this period, the families get together again, this leads to mating games. At this time, a real molt begins, which lasts 28 days. It is with penguins during molting that they are inseparable and spend all the time near the nest. In mid-April, the renewal of feathers is completed, and the crested penguins go to sea again.

How do they talk?

Penguins are birds, albeit terrestrial. These fat women know how to sing, especially during the period of courting a female, if, of course, these mating "serenades" can be called songs. The penguin's voice is more like a scream. Their mating games are accompanied by low sounds that are repeated evenly. Black and white singers “sing” in this way only during the day; at night, their screams will never be heard.

How do they fight?

Male penguins, like all males, sometimes like to put up fights. Most often this happens because of females or when you have to protect the nest from uninvited guests. Aggressive rivals stretch their heads vertically with a belligerent crest raised and swing it from side to side. Before the start of the fight, the males begin to "trumpet", while bowing and twitching their shoulders.

During a fight, the penguins bow their heads with a grunt, hit each other with their beaks and fins-wings. Sometimes bites are even used if the combatants are too engrossed in the battle.

A very crested penguin, the photo confirms this, because not all nature lovers can afford to see these creatures in their natural habitat. There is scientific evidence that over the past 45 years, the number of penguins has decreased by almost half. This species is listed in the Red Book!

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 southern coast of South America, on the Auckland Islands, on 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 tinge. 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. The clutch contains 2 eggs of 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 have 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 the wild, the 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. They are well adapted to marine life. 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 explained by the growth of tourism and environmental pollution. Commercial squid harvesting also contributes to the reduction in the number of these penguins. This species currently has a status of concern.

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 New Zealand and the coast of South Australia as their habitat.

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: leaving 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 "rock 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 of the temperate zone of the 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. A distinctive feature of the Antarctic penguin is 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 a white stripe runs from eye to eye down the neck. 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. The English name of this species is translated as dandy penguin. Their habitat is very extensive and has about 200 places.

Interestingly, the body weight of an adult penguin almost doubles at different times of the 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.

IUCN 3.1 Vulnerable:

Rock climbing penguin (crested)(lat. Eudyptes chrysocome listen)) is a bird of the penguin family.

Description

Penguin (length 55-62 cm, weight from 2 to 3 kg (on average 2.3 - 2.7 kg), with narrow yellow "eyebrows" ending in tassels. Distributed on the islands of the Subantarctic, Tasmania and Tierra del Fuego. And also lives on the mainland coast of South America.These are the northernmost of all penguins inhabiting the subantarctic zone.

The paws of climbers are short, located behind the body, closer to the back. The plumage is waterproof, the feathers are 2.9 cm long, the color is white below and bluish-black above. There are bright yellow feathers on the head, growing from the eyebrows in all directions, and black feathers on the top of the head. The wings are strong, narrow, similar to flippers. The eyes are tiny.

Spreading

The population size - about 3.5 million pairs, is considered stable.

Lifestyle

Climbers usually form very large colonies, often using rock ledges, lava plateaus, coarse gravelly coastal slopes. 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.

Rock climbing penguins feed on krill and other crustaceans. They find their food during the daytime swimming in the sea.

Climbing penguins are social birds and are rarely seen alone. Their colonies are very numerous and, as a result, very aggressive. Birds behave noisily, making loud calls to call partners or announce that the territory is occupied. Another gesture - shaking the head, feathered with yellow - also serves to attract attention. When resting, penguins hide their heads under their wings. At the end of summer, climbing penguins leave the colony and spend 3-5 months at sea fattening. Their wings resemble flippers and help swim well, but are not adapted for flight. Climbing penguins live on coastal cliffs, adhering to thickets of tall grass, where they dig holes and make nests. They attract a lot of tourists to the Falklands and are the main attraction of the islands. Uncontrolled fishing deprives penguins of food, another factor holding back population growth is water pollution by oil and its waste.

The life span of climbing penguins is 10 years.

reproduction

Climbers start breeding in September-October in the north, in November-December in the south of the range. Partners call each other with a characteristic cry, signaling their readiness to mate. Pairs are formed for many years. Sometimes there are 3 eggs in a clutch. And the male incubates them. During incubation, he does not leave the land, sometimes the female substitutes. 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. The first egg is 20-50% smaller than the subsequent ones, it usually dies, although in the event that it falls into favorable conditions, a full-fledged penguin hatches from it. 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. The downy outfit is black and gray, with a white belly. Having reached 10 weeks of age, the young molt and become similar to adults. On some islands, crested penguins suffer from pigs, dogs, and foxes introduced by humans.

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Crested Penguin

Dron, who came, confirmed Dunyasha's words: the peasants came at the order of the princess.
“Yes, I never called them,” said the princess. You must have told them wrong. I only told you to give them the bread.
Drone sighed without answering.
“If you tell them to, they will leave,” he said.
“No, no, I will go to them,” said Princess Mary
Despite Dunyasha's and the nurse's dissuades, Princess Mary went out onto the porch. Dron, Dunyasha, the nurse, and Mikhail Ivanovich followed her. “They probably think that I am offering them bread so that they remain in their places, and I myself will leave, leaving them to the mercy of the French,” thought Princess Mary. - I will promise them a month in an apartment near Moscow; I am sure that Andre would have done even more in my place, ”she thought, approaching the crowd in the pasture near the barn at dusk.
The crowd, crowding together, began to stir, and hats were quickly taken off. Princess Mary, lowering her eyes and tangling her feet in her dress, went close to them. So many varied old and young eyes were fixed on her, and there were so many different faces, that Princess Mary did not see a single face and, feeling the need to suddenly talk to everyone, did not know what to do. But again, the realization that she was the representative of her father and brother gave her strength, and she boldly began her speech.
“I am very glad that you have come,” Princess Marya began, without raising her eyes and feeling how quickly and strongly her heart was beating. “Dronushka told me that the war ruined you. This is our common grief, and I will spare nothing to help you. I am going myself, because it is already dangerous here and the enemy is close ... because ... I give you everything, my friends, and I ask you to take everything, all our bread, so that you do not have a need. And if you were told that I am giving you bread so that you stay here, then this is not true. On the contrary, I ask you to leave with all your property to our suburban area, and there I take upon myself and promise you that you will not be in need. You will be given houses and bread. The princess stopped. Only sighs could be heard in the crowd.
“I am not doing this on my own,” the princess continued, “I am doing this in the name of my late father, who was a good master to you, and for my brother and his son.
She stopped again. No one interrupted her silence.
- Woe is our common, and we will divide everything in half. Everything that is mine is yours,” she said, looking around at the faces that stood before her.
All eyes looked at her with the same expression, the meaning of which she could not understand. Whether it was curiosity, devotion, gratitude, or fear and distrust, the expression on all faces was the same.
“Many are pleased with your grace, only we don’t have to take the master’s bread,” said a voice from behind.
- Yes, why? - said the princess.
No one answered, and Princess Mary, looking around the crowd, noticed that now all the eyes she met immediately dropped.
- Why don't you want to? she asked again.
Nobody answered.
Princess Marya felt heavy from this silence; she tried to catch someone's gaze.
- Why don't you speak? - the princess turned to the old old man, who, leaning on a stick, stood in front of her. Tell me if you think you need anything else. I'll do anything," she said, catching his eye. But he, as if angry at this, lowered his head completely and said:
- Why agree, we do not need bread.
- Well, should we quit everything? Do not agree. Disagree... There is no our consent. We pity you, but there is no our consent. Go on your own, alone…” was heard in the crowd from different directions. And again the same expression appeared on all the faces of this crowd, and now it was probably no longer an expression of curiosity and gratitude, but an expression of embittered determination.
“Yes, you didn’t understand, right,” said Princess Marya with a sad smile. Why don't you want to go? I promise to accommodate you, feed you. And here the enemy will ruin you ... Squad: penguins Family: Penguins Genus: crested penguins View: Great crested penguin Latin name Eudyptes sclateri
(Buller, )

Description

This is an average penguin body length 63-65 cm, weight about 4-5 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 is smaller than in adults.

It is distinguished from other crested penguins by the ability to move its feather dress.

Spreading

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

The modern population has about 200,000 pairs and is recognized as stable.

Lifestyle

reproduction

These penguins are among the public species. They have interesting courtship rituals that are accompanied by low repetitive sounds - "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. 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.

Threats

The population of the great crested penguin is threatened by the IUCN. Scientists have found that over the past forty-five years, the population has declined by almost half. This is due to the custom of nesting only on certain islands. The species is listed in the Red Book under the category "Endangered Species".