Scientific Classification

Common Name

Snares Island penguin

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Sphenisciformes

Family

Spheniscidae

Genus Species

Eudyptes robustus

Fast Facts

Description

Snares Island penguins have a crest of yellow plumes that extend behind the eyes. Snares Island penguins are identified from other crested species by the bare pink patch of skin at the base of their bill. Males can be larger in size than females and also have a thicker bill.

Size

up to 64 cm (25 in.)

Weight

2.5 to 3 kg (6 to 7 lbs.)

Diet

euphausiid shrimp, squids, fishes

Incubation

31 to 37 days

Sexual Maturity

6 years old

Life Span

15 to 20 years

Range

Snares Island penguins are found south of New Zealand in the Snares Islands (all within 3 sq. km).

Habitat

Nests in muddy, forested areas and on rocky slopes.

Population

Approximately 62,000 mature penguins

Status 

IUCN: Vulnerable
CITES: Not listed
USFWS: Not listed

Fun Facts

For more information about penguins, explore the Penguin InfoBook.

Ecology and Conservation

The low population number and limited breeding areas and distribution make the Snares Island penguin vulnerable to a variety of natural and human disturbances.

All 18 penguin species are legally protected from hunting and egg collecting. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 makes it illegal to harm, or in any way interfere with, a penguin or its eggs. Every penguin specimen collected with a permit must be approved by and reported to the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR). Penguins are vulnerable to habitat destruction, overfishing of primary food sources, ecological disasters such as oil spills, pollution such as trash in the ocean, and human encroachment into nesting areas.

Bibliography

BirdLife International (2006) Species factsheet: Eudyptes robustus. Downloaded from birdlife.org

Coats, Judith. Penguins: Flightless Birds of the Southern Hemisphere. SeaWorld Education Department, 2001.

Nuzzolo, Debbie. Penguin March. SeaWorld Education Department, 2002.

Photo Credit: Snares_Penguin_(Eudyptes_robustus)_-group.jpg. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Image by: lin padgham. Year Created: 13 January 2007. Website: Snares_Penguin_(Eudyptes_robustus)_-group. License: CC by SA 2.0.