| Background Information |
The Little-blue penguins have many local and informal names. Among them are "little" penguins, "fairy" penguins, or "blues." But the native name, the Maori name, is "Korora." The physical features of the little penguin are remarkably distinct, as it is the smallest of the penguins. They tip the scales around 2 pounds and only reach about 10 inches tall. That's pretty small for a penguin. The little-blue penguin can be distinguished from the white-flippered variant due to its reflective blue feather coat. The white-flippered penguin is more slate-grey to blue with white flipper edges. Littles are generally monomorphic and can live 18-20 years.
The ecology of the fairy penguin is varied since it integrates with mankind sometimes. However, the penguins are generally found on the shores of Australia and New Zealand. They flock down to the Chatham islands to breed. Fairy penguins breed during the spring and summer. They typically lay two eggs.
Fairy penguins maintain themselves on fish and crustaceans, like most other penguins. Their predation is chiefly nest predation involving non-native mammals such as rats, stoats, and weasels. Adults contend with skuas and marine predators.
Population data on the fairy penguin indicates that the major species is stable around 1 million birds; however, subspecies variants like the white-flippered penguin are dwindling.
| Author Bernard Stonehouse |
"Little blue penguins Eudyptula minor breed in southern Australia and New Zealand, forming three (possibly more) geographical subspecies. Northern blue penguins (called Fairy penguins in Australia) have pale blue-grey dorsal feathers; they breed on coastal islands of southwestern Australia from Freemantle south, in southeastern Australia between Melbourne and Sydney, on Tasmania and islands of the Bass Strait, and on the North Island and northern tip of South Island, new Zealand. Southern blue penguins Eudyptula minor minor are dark steel-grey dorsally, and breed in Otago, along the west coast of the South Islandand on Stewart Island, New Zealand. Chatham Island blue penguins Eudyptula minor iredalei are a local variant of the Southern blue with heavier bill and marginally thinner plumage, breeding only on the Chatham Islands. Breeding of the Northern blue penguin has been studied in Australia by Warham (1958) and in New Zealand by Kinsky (1960)."
| Personal accounts |
(Australia)
Here they are usually known as Fairy Penguins or Little Penguins. They are reasonably common all along the southern coastline of Australia. They live in burrows in the coastal dunes and go out to the ocean, quite a long way, foraging for food each day, returning to their burrows at dusk. At Phillip Island, in Victoria (southernmost mainland state), there is a considerable tourist attraction based on the Penguin Parade - the return of the penguins to their burrows in the evening. Many Japanese tourists come to Phillip Island with the penguin parade as their sole objective. What happens is that the penguins come in every night and there are stands and lights set up so that everyone can see them. They come in on the surf and gather at the edge of the water until there is enough of them to pluck up the courage to come up the beach. The numbers vary during the year, but there can be quite large numbers of birds, especially when they have young in the burrows. This "parade" is repeated at beaches all along the southern coastline. I should mention that these birds would not ever be seen roaming the rainforests of Australia or New Zealand - they are strictly coastal, sea-going beasties. Incidentally, there is a small colony of Fairy Penguins living in Port Phillip Bay, only a few kilometres from the city centre of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria (pop. c.3.5 million). They have their burrows in a yacht club breakwater.
| Little-blue penguin multimedia |
- Little penguins begin small too
- Here's a beautiful shot of a fairy penguin nesting
- Once thought to be a separate species: the White-flippered penguin
- Here's another shot of a White-flippered penguin
Fairy penguins and their perils (© PBS)
Little-blue penguins greeting each other. (.wav, 172k)
Little penguin fact sheet. (PDF, 111k)
