Penguins of Antarctica

In Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands, we can see the Magellanic, rockhopper and king penguins.

The Magellanic penguin is of the group most people are familiar with…the little man in the tuxedo. It is a rather small, black and white animal, with a prominent black band that crosses the chest and extends down the two flanks, as well as a white stripe around each cheek.

The rockhopper penguin has two very obvious narrow bands of yellow feathers that extend from the base of the red, stout bill over the eyes and off to the sides as loose plumes. Otherwise, they are the basic black and white penguin design. The rockhopper penguin typically nests on steep, rocky shorelines with direct access to the sea, although the chosen sites often involves a lengthy, difficult climb to reach, which forces it to hop on the rocks and boulders…hence the name.

King penguins were once very numerous in the Falkland Islands, but they were nearly extirpated in the 19th and early 20th centuries for their oil. A few colonies have become reestablished in recent decades, but their numbers are still very low here. The king penguin is a very large, colorful and attractive animal with a dark, bluish-gray back, white front with a yellow-orange throat patch and an orange, upside-down, teardrop-shaped marking on each side of the black head.

Around the Antarctic Peninsula, we commonly see gentoo, Adélie, chinstrap, emperor, and rarely Macaroni penguins. 

The gentoo is a basic black and white penguin, but has a prominent white triangular patch above each eye, brilliant orange-red markings on either side of the beak and a black throat. This species is the least common of the Antarctic penguins, but has been spreading farther southward in the peninsular region within recent years.

Adélie penguins are entirely black and white, with no bright colorful markings. This species commonly forms huge colonies during the breeding season, often numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

The Chinstrap penguin is very similar to the Adélie penguin in markings and size. Like the Adélie, this species also commonly forms huge colonies, sometimes numbering in hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Sighting the emperor penguin is always an exciting event. This is the largest penguin, standing at nearly four feet, and is usually encountered singly or in small groups on sea ice. It is closely related to the king penguin and has a somewhat similar appearance, although it is much more massive than the king.

On South Georgia, we can see king, gentoo, chinstrap, and Macaroni penguins.

The Macaroni penguin is a boisterous, scrappy little crested penguin that looks very much like the rockhopper penguin, except the Macaroni’s crest is gold in color, and considerably thicker. This is the most common penguin in Antarctica, but it typically places its colonies along steep, rocky shorelines, usually on isolated, storm-tossed islands that make observation somewhat difficult.

Content courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions.