Snares crested penguin, Snares Islands penguin
A middle-sized crested penguin, this bird has white-colored underparts and dark slate-grey upper parts. The beak of the Snares crested penguin is darker. The animal exhibits a pale yellow band, stretching from the base of the beak above the eyes, turning into a bushy crest, consisting of feathers, hanging down the sides of the animal's hind crown. The throat and chin of the penguin are black, and the eyes are deep red. Pale pink skin borders the base of the brownish-red bill. The legs are short and the feet are webbed, colored in pale pink, and equipped with black claws. Males and females look alike, though male penguins are noticeably larger than females, having thicker beaks. Juveniles of this species are distinguished from adults by the thinner and reduced crest, brownish beak as well as black patches on the white throat. The thick first down of the chicks is dark brown above and whitish below; the second down is alike except with the pure white underparts.
Di
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 ...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Pi
PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
Mo
MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
Pl
PlanktivoreA planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are usually photosynthet...
Se
SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
Fl
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...
Al
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 ...
Is
Island endemicIsland endemic animals are found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island. Animals or organisms that are indigenous to a place ar...
Na
NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Co
CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Mo
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...
So
SocialCo
ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
Mi
MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
S
starts with
These penguins are most frequently found on the Snares Islands, located off the southern coast of New Zealand, where they typically inhabit sheltered beaches. They can also be seen along the coasts of Tasmania, southern Australia, the Chatham Islands, and the Stewart Island: these are areas with moderate climate and necessary vegetation, where the birds roost and nest.
These penguins are diurnal breeders. They breed in colonies and forage in small flocks. In March-April, adult penguins undergo molting at their breeding colonies. Non-breeding penguins, mainly young individuals, molt from January to March on coastal rocks above landing sites, on the edges of their colony. When molting, Snares penguins stay on land for about 3 - 4 weeks. Occasionally, these penguins are very aggressive and territorial. During confrontations, they push each other with their beaks, which helps define the rank of individual penguins within the hierarchy system, in which they live. Huddling is a common behavior in this species: this is when the penguins huddle together to conserve the warmth. They also spend their time preening, taking oil from the preening gland on their rump and applying it to their plumage in order to maintain water repellency of their feathers.
Snares penguins are carnivores (piscivores). Their diet consists of a wide variety of fish, krill, and squid, found in the warm waters of the southern part of New Zealand.
Snares penguins have a monogamous mating system, forming lifelong pairs and using the same nesting sites year after year. As a general rule, males arrive a week before females. They start mating in September-October, gathering in colonies of several hundred pairs. The female helps the male to dig the nest, which is a shallow hole in the ground. When the nest is ready, the female lays 2 eggs, but usually only the larger, second egg hatches. The incubation period lasts 31-37 days, during which both mates take turns every 5-25 days. When the chick hatches, the male usually stays with the hatchling while the female forages to provide her offspring with food. By the age of 20 days, the chick joins a crèche of other hatchlings. At 11 weeks old, the young penguin will fledge and will be ready to go out to sea. Snares penguins reach sexual maturity by 6 years old, but first mate no sooner than 5-9 years of age.
The primary concern to these animals’ population is commercial fishing: waters around the Snares Islands are full of squid, attracting large fishery, which decreases the numbers of prey items.
The overall population of these penguins is presently stable and is estimated to be about 63,000 mature birds. On the IUCN Red List, the Snares penguin is listed as a Vulnerable (VU) species.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...