The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae ) is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor penguin, is the most southerly distributed of all penguins. It is named after Adélie Land, in turn named for Adèle Dumont d'Urville, who was married to French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, who first discovered this penguin in 1840. Adélie penguins obtain their food by both predation and foraging, with a diet of mainly krill and fish.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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Flightless birdFlightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species including the well known ratites (ostri...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Highly socialHighly social animals are those which are highly interactive with other members of their species. They live in large groups, nest in colonies, and ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withOne of the smallest penguin species, these birds have white chest and belly as well as white bands, surrounding their eyes. The head and bill are black while the back of the animal is blue-black in color. They have solid, tough, and coarse feet, which are pink in color. The nails on Adelie penguins' feet help them in climbing to their nests, situated on rocky cliffs. Also, they use the nails to push themselves when sliding on the surface of the ice. These birds possess webbed feet, which the animals use to move forward while swimming.
The Antarctic region is the only place, where these amazing birds live. Typically, they inhabit rocky beaches along the coastline of Antarctica and offshore islands, preferring areas that are free of ice. However, the highest concentration of these penguins is in the Ross Sea.
Adeline penguins are diurnal birds. They are highly social and communicative animals, gathering into small colonies, where they live, socialize, forage, hunt as well as find protection from predators. When it comes to nesting, these penguins usually display extremely territorial behavior, sometimes even stealing nesting sites of each other. Adelie penguins are migratory animals. Thus, in the winter, the penguin colonies are usually found in coastal areas, on large ice platforms. Then, with the approaching of the breeding season (at the beginning of spring and during summer months), the penguins migrate to the seashore, looking for ice-free areas, where they construct their nests.
Adelie penguins are carnivores (piscivores and molluscivore). Their diet primarily consists of krill. They will also consume other aquatic species, including silverfish, squid as well as crustaceans.
Adelie penguins form monogamous pairs, remaining together throughout their lives. During October-November, the birds travel to their breeding grounds, constructing nests from stones and loose pieces of grass. Typically, the female lays 2 eggs at an interval of 2 days, after which both parents incubate the eggs for around 36 days. During the incubation period, the parents usually go out to sea to forage, leaving the nest one by one and taking turns with the eggs. Then, when the chicks are hatched, they again take turns to forage and feed the hatchlings, which are born semi-precocial and are not able to feed themselves. The hatchlings are born with their down feathers. By the age of 4 weeks, they join a creche or group of other chicks, where they find protection. However, during this period the parents still continue feeding the chicks for about 56 days, after which the young are independent.
Industrial fishing is among notable threats to the species, reducing the numbers of fish and krill populations and causing food shortages in some areas of their range. However, the primary threat is environmental changes: populations in the northernmost part of their range are exposed to air and water warming, which reduces the area of sea ice, destructing their habitat. If the temperature continues increasing throughout the Antarctic, it will eventually lead to a serious danger to the Adelie penguins populations.
The overall population of the species is presently increasing, estimated at 7,580,000 mature animals. On the IUCN Red List, the Adelie penguin is classified as Least Concern (LC) species.
Feeding upon krill and Antarctic silverfish, the Adelie penguins control numbers of these species populations.
