Facts about Erect-crested penguin
- 06
Erect-crested penguins can dive to depths exceeding 300 meters while hunting for fish and squid in Antarctic waters.
- 05
Antipodean islands like the Antipodes Islands and Bounty Islands host the largest erect-crested penguin breeding colonies, with populations numbering in the tens of thousands.
- 04
Erect-crested penguin chicks fledge at approximately 3-4 months old, leaving their colonies in December to January to begin their ocean lives.
- 03
Distinctive yellowish-orange crests that give erect-crested penguins their name become more prominent during the breeding season between September and April.
- 02
During breeding season, erect-crested penguins travel up to 500 kilometers from their colonies to forage in the Southern Ocean.
- 01
Fewer than 150,000 breeding pairs of erect-crested penguins remain in the wild today, making them one of the rarest penguin species on Earth.