10 Amazing Facts about Yellow-eyed Penguins

The Yellow-eyed Penguin is a beautiful bird with gorgeous feathers. These facts about the penguin are sure to make you fall in love with their peaceful nature! Yellow-eyed Penguins mostly sit, but they are also swimmers and fishers. While they may be quieter than most penguins, they are no less impressive!

10 Amazing Facts about Yellow-eyed Penguins

1. The Yellow-eyed Penguin is easily identified by its pale yellow feathers.

These penguins have a band of pale yellow feathers around the eye and up the face, with more yellow feathers on the top of their head. They have brownish feathers on their neck and black feathers on the rest of their body. And yes, they have pale yellow eyes!

2. Yellow-eyed Penguins live in New Zealand.

The Yellow-eyed Penguin lives in New Zealand and its surrounding islands. The islands are called Stewart, Codfish, Auckland, and Campbell.

3. Yellow-eyed Penguins don’t move much!

These penguins have sedentary movement, which means lots of time is spent sitting. Most of these birds stay within 30 kilometers of their home. They must not need much exercise!

4. The Yellow-eyed Penguin loves seafood.

Yellow-eyed Penguins eat mostly fish, especially red cod, opalfish, and blueback sprat. Sometimes they eat squid or crustaceans.

5. Yellow-eyed Penguins fish by diving.

These penguins use diving to catch their prey. Sometimes they dive to 100 meters, but usually, they’ll dive about 34 meters.

6. The Yellow-eyed Penguin is quieter than other penguins!

The Yellow-eyed Penguins contact each other with a pair of high notes. They also like to show off with musical trilled notes and high-pitched pulsating yells and grunts. Do you think they would like to act on stage?

7. Yellow-eyed Penguins don’t use nests like other penguins.

These penguins find spaces between roots or grass thickets to lay their eggs. Both parents help keep the eggs warm, which hatch after about 45 days.

8. Baby Yellow-eyed Penguins grow up fast!

Yellow-eyed Penguins are considered adults at 2-3 years for females and 4-5 years for males. Their wings are strong enough to use after about 100 days! That’s much faster than humans learning to walk.

9. Yellow-eyed Penguins are an endangered species.

The Yellow-eyed Penguin is an endangered species, largely because they have such a small range to breed. There are less than a hundred breeding pairs of penguins on most of their home islands.

10. Yellow-eyed Penguins like to relax!

These penguins want their habitat to have lots of shade and be peaceful. Unfortunately, this means they have lots of threats, like land being used for farming, mammal predators, and human interference. Hopefully, these beautiful birds are able to continue to live in tranquility on their island homes!

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Wood Ducks

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Wood Ducks are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Please Share to Help Us Get Kids Bird Watching