Royal Penguin

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Royal Penguin
Conservation status
Vulnerable (VU)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Sphenisciformes Family: Spheniscidae Genus: Eudyptes Species: E. schlegeli
Binomial name
Eudyptes schlegeli Finsch, 1876

The Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli) inhabits the waters surrounding Antarctica. Royals look very much like Macaroni Penguins, but have a white face and chin instead of the Macaronis' black visage. They stand up to 70 cm tall and weigh between 4 and 5 kg. Royal penguins breed only on Macquarie Island and, like other penguins, spend much of their time at sea, where they are assumed to be pelagic.

There is some controversy over whether Royal penguins are a sub-species of Macaroni penguins. Individuals of the two groups have been known to interbreed, though this is a relatively rare occurrence. Indeed, other penguins have been known to form mixed-species pairs in the wild.

Royal Penguins nest on beaches or on bare areas on slopes covered with vegetation. Like most seabirds they are colonial, nesting in scrapes on the ground up to a mile inland. The breeding season begins in September with laying starting in October. Two eggs are incubated for 35 days, with each incubation stint lasting up to two weeks. After brooding the chick for three weeks, both parents forage at sea while the chicks form large creches. The chicks fledge after two months. Young adults usually return to the colony to breed after six years.

Royal Penguins are not considered threatened; historically they were harvested for their oil, between 1870 and 1919 the government of Tasmania issuing licences for hunting them, with an average 150,000 penguins (both Royal and King) being taken each year. Since the end of penguin exploitation on Macquarie the numbers have climbed to 850,000 pairs.

The scientific name commemorates the German zoologist Hermann Schlegel.

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2005). Eudyptes schlegeli. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 05 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is vulnerable and the criteria used
• del Hoyo,J., Elliot, A., Sargatal, J., eds (1992) Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume One Ostritch to Ducks, ISBN 84-87334-10-5

[edit] External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the royal penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)
• Australian Antarctic Division: Unusual Penguins Contains picture of mixed species pairs and hybrid individual penguins.