Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: Megadyptes
Species: M. antipodes
Binominal name: Megadyptes antipodes
Common name: Yellow-eyed penguin, hoiho
Megadyptes antipodes is a penguin native to New Zealand and is the sole extant species in the genus Megadyptes. The species breeds around the South Island of New Zealand, as well as Stewart Island, Auckland Islands, and Campbell Islands.
The yellow-eyed penguin is a mid-sized penguin, measuring 62–79 cm long (fourth largest penguin). Weights vary through the year being greatest, 5.5 to 8 kg, just before moulting and least, 3 to 6 kg, after moulting. The males are larger than the females. It has a pale yellow head and paler yellow iris with black feather shafts. The chin and throat are brownish-black. There is a band of bright yellow running from its eyes around the back of the head. The juveniles have a greyer head with no band and their eyes have a grey iris.
The yellow-eyed penguin may be long-lived, with some individuals reaching 20 years of age. Males are generally longer lived than females, leading to a sex ratio of 2:1 around the age of 10–12 years.
Nest sites are selected in August and normally two eggs are laid in September. The incubation duties (lasting 39–51 days) are shared by both parents who may spend several days on the nest at a time. For the first six weeks after hatching, the chicks are guarded during the day by one parent while the other is at sea feeding. The foraging adult returns at least daily to feed the chicks and relieve the partner. After the chicks are six weeks of age, both parents go to sea to supply food to their rapidly growing offspring. Chicks usually fledge in mid-February and are totally independent then on. Chick fledge weights are generally between 5 and 6 kg.
Like most other penguins, it is mainly piscivorous (eats primarily fish). They forage predominantly over the continental shelf between 2 km and 25 km offshore, diving to depths of 40 m to 120 m. Breeding penguins usually undertake two kinds of foraging trips: day trips where the birds leave at dawn and return in the evening ranging up to 25 km from their colonies, and shorter evening trips during which the birds are seldom away from their nest longer than four hours or range farther than 7 km. Yellow-eyed penguins are known to be an almost exclusive benthic forager that searches for prey along the seafloor. Accordingly, up to 90% of their dives are benthic dives. This also means that their average dive depths are determined by the water depths within their home ranges. Around 90% of the yellow-eyed penguin's diet is made up of fish, chiefly demersal species that live near the seafloor (e.g. blue cod (Parapercis colias), red cod (Pseudophycis bachus), opalfish (Hemerocoetes monopterygius). Other species taken are New Zealand blueback sprat (Sprattus antipodum) and cephalopods such as arrow squid (Nototodarus sloanii).
Yellow-eyed penguins usually nest in forest or scrub, among native flax (Phormium tenax) and lupin (Lupinus arboreus), on slopes or gullies, or the shore itself, facing the sea. These areas are generally sited in small bays or on headland areas of larger bays. It is found in New Zealand, on the south-east coast of the South Island most notably on Otago Peninsula, Foveaux Strait, Stewart Island, and sub-Antarctic islands of Auckland and Campbell Islands.
This species of penguin is endangered, with an estimated population of 4000. It is considered one of the world's rarest penguin species. The main threats include habitat degradation and introduced predators. It may be the most ancient of all living penguins. A reserve protecting more than 10% of the mainland population was established at Long Point in the Catlins in November 2007 by the Department of Conservation and the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust. In August 2010, the yellow-eyed penguin was granted protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. (Text thanks to Wikipedia)
Yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) Enderby Island, Auckland Islands, Subantarctic
The two photos below are courtesy of Tamzin Henderson@ https://www.tamzinnz.com/
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
