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Description

Species Name: Little Penguin

Species Latin Name: Eudyptula minor

Also Known As: Fairy Penguin, Little Blue Penguin, Blue Penguin

Native To: The coastlines of Australia, New Zealand, and possibly in Chile

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Photo Taken At: Ballarat wildlife park

Size (length): 30 - 43cm (11.8 – 16.9 inches)

Size (Height): 30 – 33cm (11.8 – 13 inches)

Weight: 1-3kg

Top Speed: 2.5kmh (4mph)

Lifespan: 10-20 years

Population Size: Below 1 million

Population Trend: Stable

Diet: Carnivore, piscivores

Lifestyle: Semiaquatic, flightless bird, altricial, fossorial, natatorial, territorial, terrestial, oviparous, burrowing.

Group Name: Rookery, colony, huddle, convent, waddle, raft

Female Name: Female

Male Name: Male

Baby Name: Chick, nestling

Mating Behaviour: Monogamy

Reproductive Season: June – October

Eggs Per Brood: 1-2 Eggs

Incubation Period: 31-40 days

Independent Age: 57-78 days

Female Sexual Maturity: 2 years

Male Sexual Maturity: 3 years

Description:

As the namesake of the Little Penguin suggests this species is known for how small it is, standing at an average height of 33cm (13 inches) it is the smallest species of penguin in the world. Their head and upper portions of the body are blue in colour where as the underside of their body is white. Their flippers are blue in colouration, their beaks are dark grey, and they have pink webbed feet with black soles and webbing. Their iris is pale grey on the inner portion but dark grey on the outer portion.

Diet:

These penguins will dive and swim extensively to find food, they will go as far as the sea floor to get a meal. Generally many of the fish these animals consume are less than 10cm (3.9 inches) long, their diet will consist 76% of various fish species and 24% squid. Even though it has been recorded that these penguins will at times swim to the ocean floor to search for food these animals are generally inshore feeders, this means that Little Penguins will prefer to stay in the shallows. Generally these animals will dive no further than 2 meters (6.6 feet) for about 21 seconds, that said it has been recorded for these penguins to dive as far as 66.7 meters (218.8) and with a maximum time underwater being 90 seconds.

What these animals will feed on will vary depending on their location as well as the availability of their prey animals. Little penguins will eat small clupeoid fish, cephalopods, and crustaceons. The most common fish these animals feed on are pilchards, barracouta and anchovies, other common prey for Little Penguins include crab larvae, eels, jelly fish, seahorses, arrow squid (Nototodarus sloanii), slender sprat (Spratelloides gracilis), graham's gudgeon (Grahamichthys radiata), red cod (Pseudophycis), and ahuru (Auchenoceros punctatus).

Behaviour:

Little Penguins can be rather noisy animals, each call is unique to the individual using them. They will use separate calls for different situations such as during courtship, to defend their territory, as a social call, showing aggression or as a means to express themselves as an individual amongst the group.

These penguins can be active during the day or night, typically they will forage by day at sea. They will feed their chicks and then settle down for the night beside their nest in their burrows. These penguins are able to waterproof their feathers which keeps them warm in the cold waters, they do this with a special gland above their tail that secretes a small amount of oil. The Little Penguins will preen themselves applying a tiny amount of this oil to their feathers, when the penguins undergo their yearly molt they are more vulnerable as they lose their waterproof feathers temporarily. During successful breeding seasons these penguins will gather in well organized groups as they march together to and from their nests and colonies.

Little Penguins form monogamous bonds with one another that will last many years, pairs will split apart in the event of one of the mates passing away or if there is unsuccessful nesting attempt. Mated pairs will deepen their bond together by preening each other particularly on their heads where it is difficult to self preen, this also serves as away to remove parasites such as feather mites that feed off the Little Penguins naturally occurring waterproofing oil. Breeding occurs between the months of June to October and nesting sites can be at rocky cliffs, caves, or in ground burrows. The mother will usually lay 1 or 2 eggs and the chicks will hatch after 13-38 days of incubation. Both parents will take responsibility for raising the young, the parents will take great care in raising their young taking turns once every 3-4 days to care for them for the first 18-38 days of the chicks life. After the 18-38 day margin the parents will relax how much they care for their chicks as they gain more independence. The chicks will fledge at around 50-65 days old and will be fully independent by 57-78 days of age. Females will be sexually mature at about 2 years of age where as the males will sexually mature a little later at 3 years of age.

Threats:

Thankfully these animals are listed as least as least concern and their numbers are rather stable, that said Little Penguins face many threats that can threaten the stability of their numbers. These threats range from the struggle to acquire enough food, predation from introduced and native predators, human development and interference, oil spills and plastic pollution, and potential issues that may come with a changing climate.

At times Little Penguins will struggle with a lack of food, this usually results in younger penguins washing up on shore either dead or in a starved weakened state. This has been known to also affect older penguins as well at times but is more common with younger penguins. The occurrences of dead Little Penguins peaks twice a year. The first instance when these birds go through their molting period which puts them under a a lot of stress. The second peak of these animals washing up on shore is mid-winter which is when the prey the penguins rely on is at its lowest for the year. Whilst in most cases these deaths can be attributed to a lack of prey there are cases where they are attributed to a viral or bacterial infection.

These animals are preyed on by both native as well as introduced species, that said it is stated that native predators of The Little Penguin are not a threat to this species numbers as native predators are long established animals that have a diverse diet. Eggs and young chicks are likely to be eaten by the native Blue-tongued Lizards (Tiliqua scincoides), adults are more likely to be preyed on by the native Tiger Snakes (Notechis scutatus), Rosenberg's Monitor (Varanus Rosenbergi), Long-nosed Fur Seal (Arctocephalus forsteri), Australia Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea), Barracouta (Thyrsites atun), and various sharks. Introduced species such as uncontrolled dogs, feral cats, foxes, ferrets and stoats have lead to an increase in deaths and injuries for the Little penguins species.

These animals have become quite vulnerable to a variety of different human behaviours. In the past it appears that there have been multiple cases of animal cruelty against these birds some of the incidences are still under investigation. Other less direct forms of human interference includes littering of waste which can make their way to active burrows which can interfere with the breeding process. Amateur fishers can inadvertently be responsible for drowning Little Penguins when they use gill nests which the penguins can become entangled in. Oil spills have been a persistent problem not just for this species but for man other sea faring wildlife, the oil is toxic when ingested by these penguins and it interferes with the naturally insulating oil production from the Little Penguins bodies. Plastics that find their way into the ocean can be mistaken by these animals as a source of food which cannot be readily digested, these objects can also pose a lethal choking hazard for these penguins.

Little Penguins have very little adaptations available to them to lose body heat, this makes them more vulnerable to heat waves. There are concerns that a changing climate will result in a hotter environment that is harder for these animals to cope with. Furthermore there are concerns that if the sea levels were to change this could lead to a potential loss of habitat for these animals.

Conservation:

These animals are protected both in Australia as well as in New Zealand. With many of these animals falling victim to foxes, cats, and dogs an experiment to use a Maremma Sheepdog to guard the penguins from attack had some success. It inspired a feature film named after the sheepdog in question "Oddball" in 2015. Restrictions have been set up to ensure dogs are kept on leashes to reduce the instances of uncontrolled dogs attacking these animals. Near some colonies in the state of Tasmania traps are set to capture and then euthanize stray cats.

Various efforts have been made in protecting and restoring the habitat for these animals. Artificial burrows are made for the Little Penguins to encourage breeding and to ensure a stable population. Some programs will go out and remove weeds from colony sites, the most problematic weeds for nesting sites include Kikuyu Grass (Cenchrus clandestinus), and Coastal Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica).

As oil spills continue to be an issue for the Little Penguins extensive rehabilitation programs and centers have been established to increase the likelihood of these penguins recovery. Once a penguin is taken in they are put in a specially handmade sweater to prevent the animal from preening their oil stained feathers. They are given a thorough clean and treatment at which point the jumper is discarded, these birds have a 96% survival rate once being treated at a rehab center.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_p…

Birdlife: www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profi…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/little…

Animalia: animalia.bio/little-blue-pengu…

Australian Museum: australian.museum/learn/animal…

Description

Species Name: Little Penguin

Species Latin Name: Eudyptula minor

Also Known As: Fairy Penguin, Little Blue Penguin, Blue Penguin

Native To: The coastlines of Australia, New Zealand, and possibly in Chile

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Photo Taken At: Ballarat wildlife park

Size (length): 30 - 43cm (11.8 – 16.9 inches)

Size (Height): 30 – 33cm (11.8 – 13 inches)

Weight: 1-3kg

Top Speed: 2.5kmh (4mph)

Lifespan: 10-20 years

Population Size: Below 1 million

Population Trend: Stable

Diet: Carnivore, piscivores

Lifestyle: Semiaquatic, flightless bird, altricial, fossorial, natatorial, territorial, terrestial, oviparous, burrowing.

Group Name: Rookery, colony, huddle, convent, waddle, raft

Female Name: Female

Male Name: Male

Baby Name: Chick, nestling

Mating Behaviour: Monogamy

Reproductive Season: June – October

Eggs Per Brood: 1-2 Eggs

Incubation Period: 31-40 days

Independent Age: 57-78 days

Female Sexual Maturity: 2 years

Male Sexual Maturity: 3 years

Description:

As the namesake of the Little Penguin suggests this species is known for how small it is, standing at an average height of 33cm (13 inches) it is the smallest species of penguin in the world. Their head and upper portions of the body are blue in colour where as the underside of their body is white. Their flippers are blue in colouration, their beaks are dark grey, and they have pink webbed feet with black soles and webbing. Their iris is pale grey on the inner portion but dark grey on the outer portion.

Diet:

These penguins will dive and swim extensively to find food, they will go as far as the sea floor to get a meal. Generally many of the fish these animals consume are less than 10cm (3.9 inches) long, their diet will consist 76% of various fish species and 24% squid. Even though it has been recorded that these penguins will at times swim to the ocean floor to search for food these animals are generally inshore feeders, this means that Little Penguins will prefer to stay in the shallows. Generally these animals will dive no further than 2 meters (6.6 feet) for about 21 seconds, that said it has been recorded for these penguins to dive as far as 66.7 meters (218.8) and with a maximum time underwater being 90 seconds.

What these animals will feed on will vary depending on their location as well as the availability of their prey animals. Little penguins will eat small clupeoid fish, cephalopods, and crustaceons. The most common fish these animals feed on are pilchards, barracouta and anchovies, other common prey for Little Penguins include crab larvae, eels, jelly fish, seahorses, arrow squid (Nototodarus sloanii), slender sprat (Spratelloides gracilis), graham's gudgeon (Grahamichthys radiata), red cod (Pseudophycis), and ahuru (Auchenoceros punctatus).

Behaviour:

Little Penguins can be rather noisy animals, each call is unique to the individual using them. They will use separate calls for different situations such as during courtship, to defend their territory, as a social call, showing aggression or as a means to express themselves as an individual amongst the group.

These penguins can be active during the day or night, typically they will forage by day at sea. They will feed their chicks and then settle down for the night beside their nest in their burrows. These penguins are able to waterproof their feathers which keeps them warm in the cold waters, they do this with a special gland above their tail that secretes a small amount of oil. The Little Penguins will preen themselves applying a tiny amount of this oil to their feathers, when the penguins undergo their yearly molt they are more vulnerable as they lose their waterproof feathers temporarily. During successful breeding seasons these penguins will gather in well organized groups as they march together to and from their nests and colonies.

Little Penguins form monogamous bonds with one another that will last many years, pairs will split apart in the event of one of the mates passing away or if there is unsuccessful nesting attempt. Mated pairs will deepen their bond together by preening each other particularly on their heads where it is difficult to self preen, this also serves as away to remove parasites such as feather mites that feed off the Little Penguins naturally occurring waterproofing oil. Breeding occurs between the months of June to October and nesting sites can be at rocky cliffs, caves, or in ground burrows. The mother will usually lay 1 or 2 eggs and the chicks will hatch after 13-38 days of incubation. Both parents will take responsibility for raising the young, the parents will take great care in raising their young taking turns once every 3-4 days to care for them for the first 18-38 days of the chicks life. After the 18-38 day margin the parents will relax how much they care for their chicks as they gain more independence. The chicks will fledge at around 50-65 days old and will be fully independent by 57-78 days of age. Females will be sexually mature at about 2 years of age where as the males will sexually mature a little later at 3 years of age.

Threats:

Thankfully these animals are listed as least as least concern and their numbers are rather stable, that said Little Penguins face many threats that can threaten the stability of their numbers. These threats range from the struggle to acquire enough food, predation from introduced and native predators, human development and interference, oil spills and plastic pollution, and potential issues that may come with a changing climate.

At times Little Penguins will struggle with a lack of food, this usually results in younger penguins washing up on shore either dead or in a starved weakened state. This has been known to also affect older penguins as well at times but is more common with younger penguins. The occurrences of dead Little Penguins peaks twice a year. The first instance when these birds go through their molting period which puts them under a a lot of stress. The second peak of these animals washing up on shore is mid-winter which is when the prey the penguins rely on is at its lowest for the year. Whilst in most cases these deaths can be attributed to a lack of prey there are cases where they are attributed to a viral or bacterial infection.

These animals are preyed on by both native as well as introduced species, that said it is stated that native predators of The Little Penguin are not a threat to this species numbers as native predators are long established animals that have a diverse diet. Eggs and young chicks are likely to be eaten by the native Blue-tongued Lizards (Tiliqua scincoides), adults are more likely to be preyed on by the native Tiger Snakes (Notechis scutatus), Rosenberg's Monitor (Varanus Rosenbergi), Long-nosed Fur Seal (Arctocephalus forsteri), Australia Sea Lion (Neophoca cinerea), Barracouta (Thyrsites atun), and various sharks. Introduced species such as uncontrolled dogs, feral cats, foxes, ferrets and stoats have lead to an increase in deaths and injuries for the Little penguins species.

These animals have become quite vulnerable to a variety of different human behaviours. In the past it appears that there have been multiple cases of animal cruelty against these birds some of the incidences are still under investigation. Other less direct forms of human interference includes littering of waste which can make their way to active burrows which can interfere with the breeding process. Amateur fishers can inadvertently be responsible for drowning Little Penguins when they use gill nests which the penguins can become entangled in. Oil spills have been a persistent problem not just for this species but for man other sea faring wildlife, the oil is toxic when ingested by these penguins and it interferes with the naturally insulating oil production from the Little Penguins bodies. Plastics that find their way into the ocean can be mistaken by these animals as a source of food which cannot be readily digested, these objects can also pose a lethal choking hazard for these penguins.

Little Penguins have very little adaptations available to them to lose body heat, this makes them more vulnerable to heat waves. There are concerns that a changing climate will result in a hotter environment that is harder for these animals to cope with. Furthermore there are concerns that if the sea levels were to change this could lead to a potential loss of habitat for these animals.

Conservation:

These animals are protected both in Australia as well as in New Zealand. With many of these animals falling victim to foxes, cats, and dogs an experiment to use a Maremma Sheepdog to guard the penguins from attack had some success. It inspired a feature film named after the sheepdog in question "Oddball" in 2015. Restrictions have been set up to ensure dogs are kept on leashes to reduce the instances of uncontrolled dogs attacking these animals. Near some colonies in the state of Tasmania traps are set to capture and then euthanize stray cats.

Various efforts have been made in protecting and restoring the habitat for these animals. Artificial burrows are made for the Little Penguins to encourage breeding and to ensure a stable population. Some programs will go out and remove weeds from colony sites, the most problematic weeds for nesting sites include Kikuyu Grass (Cenchrus clandestinus), and Coastal Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica).

As oil spills continue to be an issue for the Little Penguins extensive rehabilitation programs and centers have been established to increase the likelihood of these penguins recovery. Once a penguin is taken in they are put in a specially handmade sweater to prevent the animal from preening their oil stained feathers. They are given a thorough clean and treatment at which point the jumper is discarded, these birds have a 96% survival rate once being treated at a rehab center.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_p…

Birdlife: www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profi…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/little…

Animalia: animalia.bio/little-blue-pengu…

Australian Museum: australian.museum/learn/animal…