The King penguin is the second largest species of penguin. Females are usually shorter and more lightweight than males. The head of adult individuals is dark, almost black, on both sides covered with orange to orange-yellow colored markings, which have a form of a spoon. Adult penguins also possess an orange-colored patch, which is most intense at the throat of the animal, turning to pale yellow on the upper breast and gradually becoming white on the back of the animal. The back and the flippers are covered with black and gray feathers, having a slight silvery shade. The lower bill has a pinkish-red to the orange-yellow colored band, displaying ultraviolet reflectance. The hatchlings are dark brown in color before their first molt. Young penguins generally look similar to adult individuals, though they are colored paler, gaining full adult coloration at about 3 years old.
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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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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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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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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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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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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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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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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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Serial monogamySerial monogamy is a mating system in which a pair bonds only for one breeding season.
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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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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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King penguins inhabit rocky islands in the northern reaches of Antarctica, as well as Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and other temperate islands of the region.
King penguins are diurnal and social animals, gathering in colonies. Usually, these colonies cover large territories, located in open areas with poor vegetation, since the birds do not tend to climb. In order to forage, King penguins travel long distances (up to 500 km) from their breeding areas. Before feeding, they like to bathe in the ocean. During the daytime, penguins can dive to depths of 100-300 meters, remaining there for about 5 minutes before coming to the surface while at night, they usually do not dive deeper than 30 meters. When on land, King penguins move either by walking with the characteristic ungainly, wobbling gait or simply sliding over the ice surface on their bellies, pushing themselves with their feet and flippers.
King penguins are carnivores (piscivores). Their diet mainly consists of fish and particularly - lantern fish and they also consume crustaceans such as krill.
The mating behavior of King penguins can be characterized as serial monogamy. During the breeding season, which takes place in November-December, each penguin mates with only one mate. The female lays a single egg. Then, for about 55 days, both the male and the female take part in the incubation of the egg. When the chick hatches out, both parents care for it for about 30-40 days, until the hatchling joins a group of other chicks or crèche, where it finds warmth and protection from predators. Young penguins are independent at 14-16 months old, reaching sexual maturity at the age of 3-5 years.
One of the threats to this species is human activity within the area of their range, which can cause the introduction of a disease, pest, or predator, which, in turn, can lead to the decline of their population. However, the primary threat to the penguins is global warming: the rise in temperatures has already caused a sharp decline in the breeding success of King penguins. In addition, global warming affects also the species that the penguins consume, slowing down the development of marine organisms.
According to the IUCN Red List resource, the total population size of the King penguin is 1.1 million annual breeding pairs. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...