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I'm going to do this group a little differently. All the Crested penguins share so many traits that I'm going to explain the general characteristics first. Then under each breed just specify the differences.
All Crested penguins have flashy yellow or orange crests on the sides of their heads and red or reddish-brown eyes. Their beaks are reddish or orangish in color. They are very similar in appearance. The main differences between the species are size, shape and color of the crest. Crested penguins spend about half of the year at sea. The time frame of the breeding cycle varies for the different species, with the northern species (living in the milder climate) breeding earliest.
Except for a few Macaroni penguins, in a colony on the Antarctic Peninsula, all the Crested penguins breed on islands around the Antarctic Continent, and on at least 6 islands 2 species breed, sometimes in the same rookery.
Crested penguins are long-lived birds and rarely breed before their 5th year. The pair bonds are very strong and the same pair will mate and occupy the same nesting site year after year. The whole breeding season lasts 18 to 21 weeks, with the males arriving at the colony a week or so before the females. Crested penguins are very colonial and territorial. Most of their rookeries have enormous populations and there is much threatening and fighting in the crowded rookeries. The penguins will also attach human observers who get too close. The penguins may spend a whole month fighting, displaying and nest building, before getting down to laying eggs. Nests are built from what ever is available -- usually pebbles or twigs.
The young who are not mature enough to mate yet still return to their birth places every year. Arriving after the breeding adults, they hang around in groups and get in the way. These young adults (and any breeding adults who are unoccupied, through having lost their eggs or their mate) are sometimes called "hoodlums".
All crested penguins lay 2 eggs. The first one is usually much smaller and rarely hatches. It is usually pushed from the nest a few days after the second one is laid. If the first egg does hatch, the chick is much smaller and usually dies within a week. Males and females take turns incubating the eggs and feeding in the sea. The chicks hatch in about 5 weeks. For the first 3 or 4 weeks (while the hatchlings are still in the nest) the males stay on shore, fasting and protecting the chicks from cold and predators. During this time the female brings food to the chicks, but not to her mate. When the chicks leave the nest and form creches (at 3-4 weeks), both parents gather food, although the female is still likely to do most of the feeding of the chicks.
At 10 or 11 weeks the chicks are fully fledges and go to sea about the same time as the adults (although not as a family group). The adults stay at sea for a month or two, fattening up, then return to the colony to molt. This usually takes another month. Finally they return to the sea for about 6 months, before beginning the process again. Although not much is known about their life at sea, it is known that they travel great distances during that 6 month period.
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The Macaroni Penguin Height: 28 inches Weight: 10-15 lbs Range: Sub antarctic Breeding Season: Sept. to Feb. Nesting: 2 eggs laid, only one incubated by both parents, 35-37 days. Fledgling stage: 10 - 11 weeks. |
The crest of the Macaroni penguin begins as a broad band of color across the forehead. It is bright orange and sweeps down the sides, long and drooping. They are the only species of Crested penguins to nest on the Antarctic Peninsula. Macaroni penguins are the most colonial of all the Crested penguins. On South Georgia Island alone, millions upon millions of them assemble in enormous rookeries. They often nest on extremely steep slopes (even steeper than the ones the Rockhopper penguins nest on).
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The Royal Penguin Height: 28 inches Weight: 9 - 11 lbs Range: Macquarie Island Breeding Season: Sept. - March Nesting: 2 eggs laid, only 1 incubated by both parents, 35 - 37 days. Fledgling stage: 10 - 11 weeks. |
The Royal penguin is very similar in appearance to the Macaroni, except that the chin and side of the head are nearly always white. Some experts consider it a subspecies of the Macaroni. The Royal penguin has a very loud, raucous call. Royals only breed on Macquarie Island.
In the 1800's hundreds of thousands were killed every year by the crews from the whaling and sealing ships. Especially after the seal population was nearly gone. The penguins were hunted for their feathers, skins and oil. Their bodies were boiled down in huge vats, until the fat turned to oil. The Royal penguins had almost died out by the early 1900's. In 1920 the New Zealand Government cancelled all "sealing" licenses, and in 1933, Macquarie Island was declared a sanctuary. Now there are over 2 million Royal penguins breeding on the island.
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The Rockhopper Penguin Height: 20 inches Weight: 5-6 lbs Range: Sub Antarctic Islands Breeding Season: Cot. - Aper. Nesting: 2 eggs laid, only one incubated by both parents, 33 - 35 days. Fledgling stage: 10 - 11 weeks |
The Rockhopper is the smallest of all the Crested penguins. It's crest is yellow in color, and long and droopy. There is no forehead band of color. The Rockhopper gets it's name from it's habit of hopping up and down steep slopes to reach it's nesting site, which is usually on broken, rocky terrain. Their breeding range is more widespread that any other of the Crested penguins. Rockhopper breed on almost all the islands around the Antarctic Continent. They often nest on the same island as other Crested penguins. Sometimes they even share the same rookery as the Macaroni penguins. Although the Rockhopper usually lays it's eggs as much as a month later than the Macaroni. Rockhopper are the most aggressive of all the penguins. They can be very viscous when defending their nesting sites. They will attack people who get too close.
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The Fiordland Penguin Height: 22 inches Weight: 6 - 7 lbs Range: Southern New Zealand and nearby islands Breeding Season: July - Nov. Nesting: 2 eggs laid, incubated by both parents, 32 - 35 days. Only one chick raised. Fledgling stage: 10 - 11 weeks |
The Fiordland penguin has a yellow, bushy crest. The skin around the bill is dark and the cheek is often vaguely stripped. They are sometimes called the Thick-billed penguin. The Fiordland penguin, unlike the other Crested penguins, is very shy and retiring. They are not very colonial, and do not gather in large rookeries. They are nocturnal when ashore. The Fiordland penguin has a very restricted range and is only found in the southern part of New Zealand, the southwestern part of South Island, and Stewart Island. They nest in the coastal forests, and along the fiords. Of all the Crested penguins, they are the most likely to hatch both of the eggs laid. Even so, the smaller chick usually dies within a week.
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The Erect-Crested Penguin Height: 26 inches Weight: 8 - 10 lbs Range: Sub Antarctic islands Breeding Season: Oct. - March Nesting: 2 eggs laid, only 1 incubated by both parents, 32 - 35 days. Fledgling stage: 10 - 11 weeks |
The crest on the Erect-Crested penguin is yellow. It begins near the beak, sweeping back, stiff and erect. The Erect-Crested penguin is said to be the blackest of all the penguins. Like the Fiordland and Snares Island penguins, they have a very restricted range, and are found only on the islands surrounding southern New Zealand. There are large numbers of them on Bounty, Antipodes and Campbell islands. Some experts say the Erect-Crested is a sub species of the Fiordland penguin.
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The Snares Island Penguin Height: 22 inches Weight: 6 - 7 lbs Range: Stewart Island and surrounding islands Breeding Season: Sept. - Jan. Nesting: 2 eggs laid, only 1 incubated by both parents, 32 - 35 days. Fledgling stage: 10 - 11 weeks |
The Snares Island penguin is very similar in appearance to the Fiordland penguin, except that the skin around the bill is paler and the cheek is rarely stripped. Some experts consider the Snares Island penguin to be a sub species of the Fiordland or the Erect-Crested penguin. The Snares Island penguin is only found on a small group of islands, south of Stewart Island.
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