Details
Megadyptes antipodes
The yellow-eyed penguin is a coastal penguin of New Zealand and nearby subantarctic areas. Diurnal pairs feed at sea and breed relatively apart.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses cold coastal waters and shorelines with coastal forest, scrub, or cover. Visual screening around nest sites is important.
Wingspan is about 65-79 cm and weight about 3-8.5 kg. Yellow eyes, a pale yellow head band, dark gray back, and white belly are distinctive.
Active by day, it goes to sea alone or in pairs and dives for food. At breeding sites, pairs keep distance from neighbors and return to hidden nests.
It is carnivorous, catching fish and squid. It swims with wing-like flippers and often forages near the seafloor in coastal water.
Pairs nest under vegetation or in sheltered sites and guard eggs and chicks. Chicks remain at the nest while adults forage at sea.
Its status is listed as Endangered. Coastal change, disease, disturbance, and shifts in marine food supply are major concerns.
