Distinguishing features

Chinstrap penguins are white on the front and throat but have a black back. Chinstraps are easily distinguished by the thin black stripe across the bottom of the throat - the infamous chinstrap. 

Chicks have grey backs and white fronts.

Photos of Chinstrap penguins

Sub-species

There are no generally recognised sub-species of the Chinstrap penguin.

Height & Weight

Breeding locations

Chinstraps breed on sub-Antarctic islands and on the Antarctic Peninsula. There are some 780 known chinstrap colonies.

Chinstraps breed in very large colonies. One colony on the South Sandwich Islands is reputed to contain over 10,000,000 birds!

Nesting behaviour

Chinstrap penguins build roughly circular nests of stones; the nests are typically 40 cm in diameter and up to 15 cm high in the centre. Two eggs are usually laid and are incubated by both parents in turn in shifts of 5 to 10 days. The eggs hatch after 33 to 35 days and the chicks stay in the nests for 20 to 30 days before joining creches. The chicks moult and go to sea at 50 to 60 days of age.

Principal diet

Chinstraps rely mostly on krill, but supplement their diet with about 5% fish.

Alternative names

Chinstrap penguins are sometimes known as "Stonecracker Penguins",  this name derives from their shrill call. Other names are "Ringed penguin" and "Bearded penguin".