Eudyptes schlegeli
The Royal Penguin, *Eudyptes schlegeli*, is a striking crested penguin endemic to Australia's sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, often mistaken for its close relative, the Macaroni Penguin. This medium-sized penguin typically stands 65-76 cm (26-30 in) tall and weighs between 3-8 kg (6.6-17.6 lb), with males being subtly larger. Its most distinctive field mark is its pristine white face and chin, contrasting sharply with its black back and bright orange-yellow crests that meet in a bushy plume a...
Royal Penguins are primarily coastal seabirds, breeding exclusively on the rocky, tussock-covered shores and slopes of Macquarie Island. They forage in the surrounding cold, nutrient-rich sub-Antarctic waters.
Their diet primarily consists of krill (euphausiids), supplemented by myctophid fish and small cephalopods (squid). They forage through pursuit diving in the open ocean.
Royal Penguins are highly colonial, forming some of the world's largest and densest breeding aggregations, often returning to colonies under the cover of darkness. They are pursuit divers, spending their days foraging at sea, often in groups, to catch krill and fish. During the breeding season, m...
The Royal Penguin's entire breeding range is restricted to the sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, an Australian territory situated in the Southern Ocean. During the non-breeding season, after molting, adults disperse widely across the pelagic waters of the Southern Ocean, foraging over vast areas of...
Near Threatened
- The Royal Penguin is a true island endemic, breeding exclusively on Australia's Macquarie Island and nowhere else in the world. - Despite its 'Royal' name, it was once harvested for oil in massive numbers, with an estimated 150,000 birds taken annually during the late 19th and early 20th centur...