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Yellow-eyed Penguin -
Megadyptes Antipodes
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Distinguishing features
Yellow-eyed penguins are thought to be closest to the original penguins in appearance.
They have a broad yellow band running around the eyes and extending like a bonnet over the
top of the head. Chicks have a uniform grey
brown plumage.
Photos
of Yellow-eyed penguins
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Sub-species
There
are no generally recognised sub-species of the Yellow-eyed penguin.
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Height &
Weight
Yellow-eyed penguins are around 70 cm tall.
Weights vary through the year being greatest (7 to 8 kg) just before moulting and
least (5 to 6 kg) after moulting.
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Breeding locations
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Yellow-eyed penguins breed on the East coast of New Zealand's South Island and on
sub-Antarctic Islands to the south of New Zealand, notably Enderby Island in the Auckland
Islands. There are only three available estimates of
the total population these vary from 4,000 to 6,200 individual birds which
would approximate to 1,200 to 2,000 breeding pairs. |
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Nesting behaviour
Nests are made in dense undergrowth. Two eggs are laid and often both chicks are
reared. Incubation takes 39 to 51 days with both parents sharing duties in shifts of 1 to
2 days. Chicks are guarded by a parent while the other is at sea collecting food for 40
days. Creches are rarely formed and chicks stay close to the nest when both parents are
away. Chicks moult and go to sea when 106 days old.
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Principal diet
Yellow-eyed penguins take mainly (85%) fish supplemented with some squid.
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Alternative
names
The Maori name for the Yellow-eyed penguin is "Hoiho".
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Further
Information
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Bibliography
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.
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