Distinguishing featuresMacaroni penguins could only be confused with Royal penguins. Macaronis and Royals are the largest of the crested penguins and both have orange yellow and black crests that join on the top of the head. The Royals usually have white chins while Macaroni penguins have black chins. |
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Sub-speciesThere are no generally recognised sub-species of the Macaroni penguin. |
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Height & WeightMacaroni penguins are typically 70 cm tall. Weights vary through the year between 4 and 5.5 kg. Females are usually smaller than males. |
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Breeding locations |
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| Macaroni penguins breed on sub-Antarctic Islands south of the Americas and Africa. Large populations can be found on South Georgia, Crozet Island, Kerguelen Island, Heard Island and McDonald Island. The total breeding population is estimated to be 6,000,000 pairs. | |
Nesting behaviourMacaroni penguin nests are rudimentary scrapes in mud or gravel among rocks. Two eggs are laid with only one chick usually being reared. Incubation is shared by both parents in long shifts. Eggs hatch after 33 to 37 days. The male broods and guards the chicks for 23 to 25 days while the female brings food daily. Chicks then form small creches and are fed every 1 or 2 days until they are ready to leave to go to sea at about 60 to 70 days old. |
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Principal dietMacaroni penguins live almost entirely on krill supplemented with up to 5% of squid. |
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Alternative namesAs far as we know there are no alternative names for Macaroni penguins. If you know of any please send us an email. |
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Penguins John Sparks and Tony Soper, Facts on File Publications, Oxford, 1987.
Penguins of the World Pauline Reilly, OUP, Oxford, 1994.
The Penguins Tony D Williams, OUP, Oxford, 1995.
Penguin CAMP reports, IUCN, 1998 and 2004.
