Penguins in Antarctica Penguins in Antarctica Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo, Macaroni, and Emperor





Penguins are unique birds in that they do not fly. Their wings are adapted as swimming flippers by their wing bones being flattened and rather solidly joined so that they are very useful for swimming (up to 30 miles per hour). Penguins often look like they are flying when viewed under water. (GA image)



Most penguins spend the majority of their life at sea and return to land to reproduce. Getting to and from their reproductive areas (called rookeries) on land can be quite a walk but when there is snow to traverse, they often sled downhill to make quick descents. (GA image)



On land, penguins walk (often in straight lines) to and from the ocean between their nesting colonies and their feeding grounds in the ocean (left). These trips can be only a few hundred yards over rocky beaches (like the picture above left) or they can be miles inland, often over snow and ice. Penguins tend to follow the same paths to and from the ocean to feed and bathe. When there is snow in their path they leave footprints (right). (GA images) Most penguin species spend the year at sea without staying with their mate, returning each summer to their original breeding grounds and often to their original mate. The numbers of Antarctic penguins has been increasing over the years, a result perhaps of the decrease (from whaling) in the number of baleen whales visiting Antarctica. Without so many baleen whales (krill eaters) visiting Antarctica the krill population has increased and there is more food than ever before for the antarctic penguins. (GA image)



There are 17 species of penguins on Earth, six of which can be found in Antarctica - three brush-tailed, (genus Pygoscelis) - the Adelie, chinstrap, and gentoo; one crested (genus Eudyptes) - the macaroni; and two species of Aptenodytes - the king and emperor. (GA image)





Adelie Penguins



(left) Adelie penguin. (right) Adelie penguin rookery. (GA images)



The Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) was named after the wife of one of the early Antarctic explorers (Dumont D'Urville). This small penguin (rarely over 11 pounds) nests on rocky areas that are free of snow in the summer. Adults return to the same rookery (nesting area) where they were born and build nests out of pebbles. The giving of pebbles to the female by the male is part of the nesting courtship. Nesting pairs may stay together for six years although each year about half the birds change their mate. Eggs are laid in November and chicks hatch in December. The females lay two eggs and the parents take turns incubating the eggs. When they hatch they are fed by the parents who take turns both feeding and watching the chicks very closely for their first several weeks. Unattended chicks are vulnerable to predators, especially the Skua. The rookeries are busy places as parents attend their chicks keeping them well fed, protected, and their nests in order. Nearby there is always a line of penguins coming to and from the ocean as the parents take turns leaving the rookery to feed on krill, returning to either incubate the eggs or feed the growing babies. The nests are quickly stained with pink guano (from the pink krill that they are feeding on).



(left) Adelie penguin incubating an egg. (right) Adelie penguin feeding its chick regurgitated krill. (GA images)

The Adelies have an all black head. After only four weeks, the chicks molt their charcoal downy coat and grow the dense, waterproof feathers that allow them to leave the rookery and begin their lives feeding for themselves.





Chinstrap Penguins



