Fiordland Penguin
Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
Tall penguin endemic to New Zealand, with distinct broad yellow eyebrow that spreads out and sags down the neck. The orange bill has no bare skin at the base. Breeds and molts in dense coastal forest, thick shrubs, and caves along the southwestern coast of the South Island and Stewart Island. Calls vary from emphatic trumpeting to a low-pitched growl or hiss. Look for white stripes on cheek which can be splayed out when threatened. Cheek stripes and lack of bare skin at base of bill help distinguish this species from Snares and Erect-crested Penguins.
Identification
This species is a medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, growing to approximately 60 cm (24 in) long and weighing on average 3.7 kg (8.2 lb), with a weight range of 2 to 5.95 kg (4.4 to 13.1 lb). It has dark, bluish-grey upperparts with a darker head, and white underparts. Its broad, yellow eyebrow-stripe extends over the eye and drops down the neck. It can be distinguished from the similar erect-crested penguin (Eudyptes sclateri) and Snares penguin (Eudyptes robustus) in having no bare skin around the base of its bill. Female Fiordland penguins lay a clutch of two eggs where the first-laid egg is much smaller than the second egg, generally hatches later, and shows higher mortality, demonstrating a brood reduction system that is unique from other avian groups. The Fiordland crested penguin has a much higher breeding success than most other Eudyptes species, even at sites with introduced and/or native predators.
Taxonomy
The Fiordland crested penguin was described in 1845 by English zoologist George Robert Gray, its specific epithet derived from the Ancient Greek pachy-/παχυ- "thick" and rhynchos/ρύγχος "beak". It is one of six species in the genus Eudyptes, the generic name derived from the Ancient Greek eu/ευ "good" and dyptes/δύπτης "diver".
- Scientific name
- Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
- Authority
- Gray, GR, 1845
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Eudyptes
Range and habitat
This penguin nests in colonies among tree roots and rocks in dense temperate coastal forest. It breeds along the shores in the West Coast of the South Island, south of about Bruce Bay and the Open Bay Islands, around Fiordland and Foveaux Strait, and on Stewart Island/Rakiura and its outlying islands. Fossils of this species have been found as far north as the northern end of the South Island, and they probably once nested in the North Island as well. Their range drastically reduced by hunting in Polynesian times, and they are now only found in the least-populated part of New Zealand. The species is also present in Australia.
- Breeding range
- AU : sw South, w, s Stewart, and satellites (New Zealand)
- Non-breeding range
- to Tasman Sea and se Australian waters
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
Fiordland crested penguins are classed as near threatened by the IUCN, and their status was changed from vulnerable to endangered by the Department of Conservation in 2013. Surveys in the 1990s counted 2,500 pairs, though this was likely an underestimate; based on historic trends, the population is probably continuing to decline. The main threats are introduced predators such dogs, cats, rats, and especially stoats. They are also vulnerable to human disturbance, fleeing nests and leaving chicks exposed to predators.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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