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Characterized by plumes of yellow feathers extending above each eye, crested penguins are a species of flightless birds under the genus Eudyptes. Residing on the subantarctic islands in the southern oceans, crested penguins currently have four to seven extant species.
See the fact file below for more information on the crested penguins or alternatively, you can download our 20-page Crested Penguin worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
TAXONOMY AND EVOLUTION
- In 1816, French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot initially describe the genus; its name originated from the Ancient Greek terms eu, meaning βgoodβ, and dyptes, βdiver.β
- Seven living species are acknowledged: (1) Fiordland penguin, (2) Snares penguin, (3) Erect-crested penguin, (4) Southern rockhopper penguin, (5) Northern rockhopper penguin, (6) Royal penguin, and (7) Macaroni penguin. The Chatham species is known to be extinct.
- Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA samples indicate that these penguins are the descendants of the yellow-eyed penguin, in the mid-Miocene around 15 million years ago.
APPEARANCE
- Medium-sized flightless birds, male and female crested penguins have bright yellow feathers lined on their eyebrows, running from both eyes back to the end of their head.
- Males appear to be slightly larger than females, with a heavier mouth too.
- They have bright red eyes, though not as red as those of the rock jumper penguin.
- Juveniles are less domineering, sporting a pale chin and short crest.
- Both adults and young crested penguins have distinct white stripes on their cheek and a bare white-pink stripe circling their beak.
SPECIES
- Fiordland penguins (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) can be spotted in New Zealand, currently breeding along its southwestern coasts. These species are medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguins, reaching 24 in and weighing 8.2 lbs. Fiordland penguins have dark, bluish-grey upper parts with a darker head, and white underparts.
- Snares penguins (Eudyptes robustus) are vulnerable species found in New Zealand. These medium-small, yellow-crested penguins stand 19.5 to 27.5 in and weigh 5.5 to 8.8 lbs. They have dark blue-black upperparts and white underparts, with a bright yellow eyebrow-stripe extending over the eye, forming a drooping, bushy crest.
- Endangered Erect-crested penguins (Eudyptes sclateri) are endemic to New Zealand and solely breed on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands. They sport black upperparts with a yellow eye-stripe and crest, and white underparts.
- Southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) consist of two subspecies: western and eastern rockhopper penguins. They are native to the subantarctic waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, sometimes found in the southern coasts of South America.
- Northern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes moseleyi), also known as Moseleyβs rockhopper penguins, are endangered species that breed on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.
- The nearly threatened Royal penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli) lives on the Subantarctic Macquarie Island, known to be a localized variant of the Macaroni penguin, sporting a white face and chin.
- Macaroni penguins (Eudyptes chrysolophus) are a vulnerable species distributed along the subantarctic and antarctic peninsula. Closely related to Royal penguins, Macaroni penguins are distinctive for their yellow crest, and black face and upper parts.
BEHAVIOR
- Although crested penguins look very friendly, both juveniles and adults get into fights annually due to the need for new mates. They grab the neck of the enemy, beating it with their wings.
- They also produce several vocalizations, ranging from hissing and loud cries to rhythmical trumpeting and braying calls that amplify long distances when they are at sea.
HABITAT AND DIET
- Crested penguins inhabit both sea and land, depending on the season. Not much is known of their habitat during the non-nesting season, but they have been spotted on land in Tasmania and New Zealand.
- Most of the time, these penguins build their nest in dense colonies on coastal rocks or under the tree covers of the Olearia forests. They dig shallow holes and add grass, twigs, leaves, pebbles, or peat at the bottom. Afterwards, crested penguins stick a rim of mud to increase the level of the nest about the ground.
- Snare crested penguins feed on krill, together with an equal amount of squid and small fish.
- They are preyed upon by a number of large mammals, such as orcas, sharks, and leopard seals. Their babies and eggs are eaten by petrels and skuas.
BREEDING
- Crested penguins display complicated behavior compared to their cousins.
- Both parents take turns incubating their eggs and young.
- These species lay only two eggs, but raise only one young per breeding season. All crested penguin species have the odd phenomenon of egg-size dimorphism in breeding, where the first egg, also known as the A-egg, is relatively smaller than the second egg (B-egg). This condition is extremely prominent in Macaroni penguins, where the A-egg reaches only 60% the size of the B-egg. This mystery remains unsolved, but British ornithologist David Lack proposed that the genus was evolving towards the laying of a single-egg clutch.
Crested Penguin Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Crested Penguins across 20 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Crested Penguin worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the crested penguins which are a species of flightless birds under the genus Eudyptes. Residing on the subantarctic islands in the southern oceans, crested penguins currently have four to seven extant species.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Crested Penguin Facts
- Hello Penguin
- The More You Know
- Crested Anatomy
- Life Stages
- Draw My Home
- Extant Species
- Penguin Origami
- Crested Penguin Wiki
- Comparing Penguins
- Poem for Penguins
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Link will appear as Crested Penguin Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, December 30, 2020
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.