Kiribu

Penguins – very cool customers! These guys are birds, but they don’t fly. Well, not in the air anyway. Their wings have evolved to help them fly through water instead. You will only see these chaps in the southern hemisphere, i.e. to the south of the equator, unless of course you visit a zoo! All of the 17 species of penguin populations live near or on the coast, with most living on the Antarctic or the Subantarctic islands. The most northern penguin is the Galapagos Penguin (who does occasionally sneak north of the equator).

So, where are some great places to spot them? Here we list the major breeding locations for each species.

Antarctic

Firstly in the Antarctic. The Antarctic is home to around 20 million individuals making up 4 species of penguins. Having said that, exact numbers are difficult to calculate, but what is known is that penguin populations are in rapid decline, mainly due to warming temperatures. The most common way to see Antarctic penguins is during the southern summer as part of an Antarctic cruise. With smaller cruises (under 100 people), such as those offered by Quark Expeditions, you can go ashore and mingle with the penguins.

Adelie Penguins are one of the Antarctic penguins, found on the stony beaches all around the Antarctic when nesting. Nesting season is during the Antarctic summer (October – March), and the adults take it in turns to look after the chick. Cape Adare is home to the largest colony, and Paulet Island is a popular stopping point for Antarctic Cruises.

Chinstrap Penguins are named after the obvious line running under their chin. They occur on the Antarctic coasts as well as a number of the islands of the Southern Ocean. These guys behaviour is similar to that of the other two members of their genus, the Gentoo and the Adelie. Like other bird species these chaps have been observed trying to incubate a stone after an egg has been stolen or damaged. The South Sandwich Islands are a popular place to spot these little dudes!

The Emperor Penguin is the largest species of penguin, standing at around 1 meter tall! They are famous for their long forages for food, often having to negotiate over 60 miles of ice before reaching the Ocean to fish for food. In the meantime their partner is back looking after their egg, slowly starving! Some cruise ships carry helicopters which fly you in to view one of the colonies in the Ross Sea area.

The Gentoo Penguin is the largest of the Pygoscelis penguins (Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap), but are otherwise very similar, often sharing adjacent nesting sites, and with similar nesting habits. These guys collect a little pile of stones for their nest and are known to occasionally steal stones from neighbouring nests, and can be found having major discussions with their neighbours over their nesting sites. Probably the most common penguin you’ll see on an Antarctic Peninsula Cruise, as they breed at quite a number of the beaches and islands.

Subantarctic Islands and the Falklands

Many penguins inhabit the Subantarctic Islands, such as South Georgia and the Crozet Islands. Some of these islands are protected, and tourists cannot visit. However, some cruise ships include the Falklands, South Georgia or Macquarie Island in their itinerary, and there are a small number of supply ships which do take tourists, like the Marion Dufresne to the French Southern Lands, including to the Crozet Islands.

The mighty King Penguin is the second largest penguin, and is quite similar to the Emperor penguin in appearance. However, its breeding habits are very different, as it likes areas free of ice and snow to raise their chicks. Great places to see these chaps include Macquarie Island and Falkland Islands during the southern summer.

Macaroni Penguins are one of the crested penguins and are the most common species of penguin, with over 20 million individuals worldwide. Like some other penguin species they will ditch their first egg after they lay a second larger egg, which is quite unusual among birds. South Georgia is probably the best place to see them from October till March, with over 10 million Macaronis hopping around the island.

Famous from films such as Surf’s Up and Happy Feet, the Rockhopper Penguins are small crested penguins that are named because they hop between rocks and across cracks, which is different from most other penguin species who get past obstacles by sliding on their bellies or climbing up using their feet and wings. There are now considered to be three species of Rockhopper, the Western, Eastern and Northern. They are distributed across many of the Subantarctic Islands, the southern tip of South America and also Tristan da Cunha and Gough Islands in the South Atlantic.

The Royal Penguin only breeds on Macquarie Island, and they live in some of the largest penguin colonies including one at Hurd Point, with over 500,000 pairs. These chaps also have little yellow crests and start breeding from October onwards, so October to March is a good time to see them.

Africa

While a number of penguin species have been spotted on the coast of Southern Africa, including the King, Gentoo, Macaroni, Rockhopper and Magellanic, only the African penguin breeds in Africa.

The African Penguin is almost identical in appearance to the Magellanic penguin, however it is easily identified as the Magellanic doesn’t breed in Africa! It used to be known as the Jackass Penguin because they emit a donkey-like call during courtship, but so do some other penguin species. There are only 3 mainland colonies, the most famous of which is Boulders Beach. Boulders Beach is now a major tourist attraction a little south of Cape Town. You can wander among the penguins and they will happily let you get very close. The visitor center shows a very funny video of the penguins mingling among the sunbathing tourists on the beaches in the area.

Australasia

Australia, New Zealand and the neighbouring islands host a number of different penguin species. There are a few excellent tourist attractions which allow people to observe the penguins.

The Erect-crested Penguin only breeds on the Bounty and Antipodes Islands a little way to the South-West of New Zealand, and are quite skillful climbers. They like to nest on ledges up cliffs for safety from predators. Some Antarctic cruises from New Zealand may stop at one or other of these islands. There are also a few cruises which focus on the Subantarctic Islands.

Fairy Penguins or Little Blue Penguins are the smallest penguins, and live along the coasts of Southern Australia and New Zealand. These guys go out hunting during the day, and will return to their burrows on land at dusk. They tend to be monogamous, and will also return to the same nest each season. A great place to see these chaps is to watch the Penguin Parade at the Phillip Island Nature Park near Melbourne, Australia. You can watch the little dudes return from their fishing trip from specially designed stands and walkways. The penguins don’t appear to be bothered by the tourists at all.

The Fjordland-crested Penguin is another of the crested penguins, and is similar to the Erect-crested and Snares Island penguins. They are very timid penguins, spending most of their life at sea. In fact, some have been spotted with barnacles on their tails! You can see these chaps at Munroe Beach, South Westland and the North-West circuit tramping track, Stewart Island, both in New Zealand. However, you’ll probably only spot them during breeding season, which runs from July to November.

The Snares Island Penguin is similar to the Fjordland-crested penguins, and like them will nest in coastal rainforests. As their name implies, they only breed on the Snares Islands! Subantarctic cruises, like those offered by Heritage Expeditions, will take you past the Snares to view these chaps as part of an extensive itinerary.

The Yellow-eyed Penguin is probably one of the most threatened species, with only around 2000 breeding pairs left. These guys have two characteristics which are quite unusual for penguins. One is that they actually have a reasonably pleasant call and the other is that they will usually raise both their chicks. A great place to see these chaps is by scampering round the trenches, tunnels and hides of Penguin Place in the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand.

South America

While South America is the main home to only a small number of breeding penguin species, you can find a number of the different species at the southern tip of the continent in Southern Chile and Argentina, including Rockhopper, Macaroni and King penguins.

The Galapagos Penguin, as its name implies, breed on the Galapagos Islands. Sadly this is also a very threatened species, with only about 1000 breeding pairs remaining. They are the most northerly penguins, living right on the equator. They occasionally pop north of the equator on the coast of Isabela Island. They rely on the cool Humbolt current to supply them with food, and will suffer a large population loss during El Nino years which bring warmer water and so less food. The most common way to see these chaps is as part of a Galapagos Cruise, with the largest populations on Fernandina Island.

The Humbolt Penguin is, as its name suggests, also heavily dependent on the Humbolt current. They are similar in appearance to the Galapagos, Magellanic and African penguins. They nest in cracks and holes in the ground, occasionally even burrowing in guano (their excrement!). Unfortunately this puts their eggs at risk from people collecting the guano for use as fertilizer. The Humbolt penguin can be spotted along the coasts of Peru and Chile, and will also share nesting sites with the Magellanic penguins, making identification tricky. The largest colony is at Punta San Juan, but this is closed to the public. However you can see them at a number of animal reserves like Paracas Nature Reserve in Peru.

Widely distributed around the coasts of Chile and Argentina, the Magellanic Penguin is named after the explorer Ferdinand Magellan who first saw them in 1519. They can be spotted at many coastal sites on the continent, but major breeding sites are in the Falklands and around Tierra del Fuego. Puerto San Julian in the south of Argentina was a popular natural harbour for early expeditions to rest, including those of Magellan, Drake and Darwin. You may encounter penguins while you wander around town as they seem to enjoy checking out the local sights! A great nature reserve is Peninsula Valdez near Puerto Madryn a little south of Buenos Aires. Aside from the penguins, there are Elephant Seals, Southern right Whales and Orcas to be spotted

Finally a couple of things to remember when viewing penguins. All species are protected, and never approach a penguin too closely and definitely don’t touch them. If you are patient one may even approach you. Follow local guidelines and remember they are wild animals that do not understand what or who we are!