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Crested Penguin (Eudyptes)Fiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes Pachyrhynchus)
Click on thumbnails for larger image They are average size for Eudyptes penguins measuring about 20 to 22 inches with the slightly larger males weighing between 7.5 and 8.1 pounds. They are endemic to the west and southwest coasts of the South Island of New Zealand and the off shore islands of Stewart and Solander Islands. Very little is known about the breeding colonies because of the inaccessibility of some of the breeding sites and the dense vegetation prevents an accurate count. Some Fiordland penguins grow barnacles on their tails, an indication that they are at sea for long periods. Dogs, cats, stoats and ferrets contribute to chick mortality. They resemble most closely the Snares Penguin. They eat squid and possibly fish. They lay two eggs A and B with a successful hatch rate for both eggs of 68%. There are approximately 3000 pairs, so the population is vulnerable. Macaroni Penguin (Eudyptes Chrysolophus)
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Macaroni Photo Gallery
They are the largest of the Eudyptes penguins, approximately 29 inches in length. Their weight varies as all penguins between 13.4 and 14.5 pounds. The Macaroni has the largest stable population of all the penguin species with an estimated 11.8 million pairs. The major breeding site is South Georgia with 5 million pairs. Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, and McDonald Islands all have over a million breeding pairs . Their range is from the subantarctic Islands near the Antarctic convergence in the South Atlantic to the islands of the Southern Indian Ocean. There is one breeding location on the Antarctic Peninsula, the most southerly of the Eudyptes penguins. They are very similar to the Royal Penguin as mentioned before and some macaroni penguins have a whitish or grayish face, but the Macaroni has red eyes. They have both yellow and black plumes joining at the top of the head. They feed on krill. They lay 2 eggs and similar to the Rockhopper penguin. The smaller A egg mortality is >70%. The overall success rate in around 80% to 85% for the larger B egg. It is of interest that the smaller of the two eggs laid by crested penguins will produce a chick only if the larger egg is lost. They dive as deep as 200 feet foraging for food. The dives rarely last longer than 2 minutes. They can swim 6.2 mph.
