Moseley's Rockhopper Penguin
Eudyptes moseleyi
A small black-and-white penguin with a wild, bushy yellow crest. Marine and variably pelagic, foraging offshore and nesting on boulder-strewn beaches and among stands of tussock grass. Very similar to Southern Rockhopper Penguin, but slightly larger, with a much larger and denser yellow crest. Extremely vocal, most often giving loud braying and barking sounds with accompanying head-swinging and flipper-beating.
Taxonomy
The rockhopper penguins have been considered to consist of two species, northern and southern rockhopper penguin, since research published in 2006 demonstrated morphological, vocal, and genetic differences between the two populations. Molecular datings suggest that the genetic divergence with the southern rockhopper penguin may have been caused by a vicariant event caused by a shift in the position of the Subtropical Front during the mid-Pleistocene climate transition.Analysis of a part of a mitochondrial control region from a northern rockhopper penguin found on the Kerguelen Islands showed that it may have come from Gough Island, 6,000 km away, and that the southern and northern rockhoppers are genetically separate, though some individuals may disperse from their breeding colonies. Many taxonomists have yet to recognize the split, although some are beginning to do so.
- Scientific name
- Eudyptes moseleyi
- Authority
- Mathews & Iredale, 1921
- Order
- Sphenisciformes
- Family
- Spheniscidae
- Genus
- Eudyptes
Range and habitat
More than 99% of northern rockhoppers breed during late spring or early summer on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island in the south Atlantic Ocean. Breeding colonies are also found on the French Southern and Antarctic Lands of Amsterdam Island and St Paul Island.<p>It is very rare for the bird to make landfall on the Australian continent, but in 2006, a northern rockhopper was sighted at Robe, South Australia, and in July 2023 a very underweight northern rockhopper was found at Goolwa beach in South Australia.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
White-headed Woodhoopoe
Phoeniculus bollei
Odd, long-tailed, slender-billed bird. There is some geographical variation, but the face always shows some white, except in juvenile birds. Note the red bill and legs. Found in humid forest. Always in groups, usually of 5-10 members. The distinctive call is a quick, dry rattling, given by a whole group in chorus. Similar to Forest Woodhoopoe, but easily separated by the red bill and legs. Separated from scimitarbills by the white face and the less curved bill.
Western House-Martin
Delichon urbicum
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Ryukyu Robin
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Rather tame songbird of shady subtropical broadleaf forests. Breeds in the northern Ryukyu Islands, with some migrating to the southern Ryukyu Islands. Bright rufous-orange above, whitish below, with a black throat, breast, and flanks in the male. Pumps the tail and flutters wings regularly, much like other robins. Most readily seen on hiking trails beside streams during the earlier hours of the day. Gives high-pitched calls and beautiful whistled songs.
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