Fiordland Penguin

About the Fiordland Penguin

The Fiordland penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus), also known as the Fiordland crested penguin (in Māori, tawaki), is a crested penguin species endemic to New Zealand. It currently breeds along the south-western coasts of New Zealand's South Island as well as on Stewart Island/Rakiura and its outlying islands. Because it originally ranged beyond Fiordland, it is sometimes referred to as the New Zealand crested penguin. It is occasionally found in Australia.

The Fiordland crested penguin was described in 1845 by English zoologist George Robert Gray, its specific epithet derived from the Ancient Greek pachy-/παχυ- "thick" and rhynchos/ρύγχος "beak". It is one of the four to seven species in the genus Eudyptes, the generic name derived from the Ancient Greek eu/ευ "good" and dyptes/δύπτης "diver".

This species is a medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguin, growing to approximately 55 cm (22 in) long and weighing on average 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), with a weight range of 2 to 5 kg (4.4 to 11.0 lb). The face possesses white markings and the front is white while the head and body are black. Its broad, yellow crest begins at the base of the beak and extends... Wikipedia →