Crested penguin. Great crested penguins: description and photo Crested penguin

This species belongs to the penguin family and is included in the genus crested penguins. The crested penguin lives in the very north of the subantarctic zone. These birds live on the Falkland Islands, on the archipelago Tierra del Fuego, on south coast South America, in the Auckland Islands, Antipodes Islands. Nesting sites are rocky areas near fresh water reservoirs and other natural water sources. This species is divided into 2 subspecies.

Description

Body length is 48-62 cm. Weight varies from 2 to 3.4 kg. The largest specimens reach a mass of 4.5 kg. The plumage is waterproof. The feathers reach 2.5-2.9 cm in length. The back of representatives of the species is bluish-black, the chest and belly are white with a slight yellowish tint. The head is black.

The beak is short and red-brown in color. The eyes are small and dark red, the paws are pinkish, located behind the body. The wings are narrow and resemble flippers in appearance. A notable feature of these birds is the peculiar long feathers on their heads. They stretch from the beak and end behind the eyes with tassels. Their color is yellow, sometimes yellow-white.

Reproduction and lifespan

This species nests in large colonies, which can contain up to 100 thousand nests. Monogamous couples. The breeding season is between September and November. There are 2 eggs in the clutch different sizes. As a rule, the chicken that hatches from the larger egg survives.

The incubation period lasts about 33 days. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs. Crested penguins have a patch of featherless skin on their lower abdomen. It ensures the transfer of heat from the body to the eggs. After hatching, during the first 25 days, the male remains with the offspring, and the female gets food and feeds herself. After this time, the chickens are united in small groups of “nurseries”. There they remain until they reach adulthood.

After breeding, adult birds accumulate fat reserves and prepare for the annual molt. It takes 25 days. During this time, representatives of the species completely change their plumage. After molting, they leave land and spend the winter months at sea. They return to the shore to begin breeding again. IN wildlife The crested penguin lives 10-12 years.

Behavior and nutrition

A notable feature of the representatives of the species is that, when overcoming obstacles, they do not slide over them with their stomachs and do not rise with the help of their wings, as other penguins do. They try to jump over boulders and cracks. TO sea ​​life they are perfectly adapted. They have streamlined bodies and strong wings, which help them move quickly in the water. The diet consists of krill and other crustaceans. Squid, octopus, and fish are also eaten. When extracting prey, they can dive to a depth of 100 meters.

Conservation status

The number of crested penguins is decreasing from year to year. Over the past 30 years it has fallen by 34%. In the Falkland Islands, the population has declined by 90% over the past 60 years. This is due to the growth of tourism and pollution environment. Commercial squid fishing is also contributing to the decline in the number of these penguins. Currently this type has a status that causes concern.

Squad: Penguin-like Family: Penguins Genus: Crested penguins View: Great crested penguin Latin name Eudyptes sclateri
(Buller, )

Description This is an average penguin, body length 63-65 cm, weight about 4-5 kg. Females are significantly smaller in size than males. The chicks are grayish-brown on top and white below. The penguin's plumage on the back, wings and head is black, the chin, throat and cheeks are white. Two pale yellow tufts of feathers extend from the nostrils through the dark red eyes along the top of the head. Grown-up chicks are somewhat different from adults, the main difference is the yellow cross on the head smaller in size than in adults. What distinguishes it from other crested penguins is its ability to move its feathered feathers. Spreading It lives near Australia and New Zealand, breeding on the Antipodes, Bounty, Campbell and Auckland islands. The current population numbers about 200,000 pairs and is considered stable. Lifestyle Reproduction These penguins are a social species. They have interesting courtship rituals that are accompanied by low, repetitive sounds called “songs.” The penguin's cry is repeated at a uniform pace and consists of the same set of sounds. The cry of a penguin can only be heard in daytime. Chicks also call their parents with cries, but their “song” is much shorter and not so complex, and it is sung at higher notes. The great crested penguin breeds in large colonies. Males usually return to nesting sites two weeks earlier than females. The beginning of the mating season is marked by extraordinary activity, including fights. The nesting site is located on a flat area of ​​rocks no higher than 70 m above sea level. The female builds the nest herself, using her paws to scoop out debris from underneath it. The male lines the nest with stones, mud and grass. Eggs are laid from the beginning of October, the clutch lasts three to five days, during which time the female does not eat anything. There are two eggs in the clutch, the second egg is larger in size than the first. The eggs are light blue or greenish in color, but later they turn brown. From the moment the second egg is laid, incubation begins, which lasts 35 days. The first egg usually does not survive (98% of the time) so penguins only incubate one egg. During winter months the penguin does not leave the cool waters of the Subantarctic, but where exactly it spends all this time has not been established. It usually nests in colonies with another species of crested penguin. The rocky islands are replete with many caves suitable for nesting. There is little vegetation on them, usually low grass and shrubs. They take turns incubating: two to three days after the eggs are laid, the female leaves the nest and the male remains on guard. This lasts three to four weeks, during which time the penguin fasts. Then the chicks hatch. The female returns to the chicks during the day to feed them, regurgitating food. In February, the chicks already have plumage and they leave the islands that gave them birth. Threats The great crested penguin population is considered threatened by the IUCN. Scientists have found that over the past forty-five years the population has decreased by almost half. This is due to the custom of nesting only on certain islands. The species is listed in the Red Book under the category “Endangered Species”. Write a review about the article "Great Crested Penguin" Notes Links

Excerpt characterizing the Great Crested Penguin

“But this is wrong, dad!..” I was indignant.
– Take a closer look at your school friends - how often do they say things that are not written? – I was embarrassed... he was, again, as always, right. “This is because their parents teach them to be just good and obedient students and get good grades.” But they don’t teach them to think... Perhaps because they didn’t think very much themselves... Or maybe also because fear has already taken root in them too deeply... So move your brains, my Svetlenka, to find for yourself, what is more important to you is your grades, or your own thinking.
– Is it really possible to be afraid to think, dad?.. After all, no one hears our thoughts?.. What then is there to be afraid of?
– They won’t hear if they hear... But every mature thought shapes your consciousness, Svetlenka. And when your thoughts change, then you change with them... And if your thoughts are correct, then someone may very, very not like them. Not all people like to think, you see. Many people prefer to put this on the shoulders of others like you, while they themselves remain only “fulfillers” of other people’s desires for the rest of their lives. And happiness for them if the same “thinking” ones do not fight for power, because then it’s not the real ones who come into the game human values, and lies, boasting, violence, and even crime, if they want to get rid of those who think “inappropriately” with them... Therefore, thinking can be very dangerous, my Light One. And it all depends only on whether you will be afraid of this or prefer your human honor to fear...
I climbed onto my dad’s sofa and curled up next to him, imitating the (very dissatisfied) Grishka. Next to my dad, I always felt very protected and peaceful. It seemed that nothing bad could get to us, just as nothing bad could happen to me when I was next to him. Which, of course, could not be said about the disheveled Grishka, since he also adored the hours spent with dad and could not stand it when anyone intruded on these hours... He hissed at me very unfriendly and with all his appearance showed that it was better I wish I could get out of here as quickly as possible... I laughed and decided to leave him to calmly enjoy such a dear pleasure for him, and I went to get some exercise - play snowballs in the yard with the neighbor kids.
I counted the days and hours left until my tenth birthday, feeling almost “all grown up”, but, to my great shame, I was not able to forget for a minute my “birthday surprise”, which, of course, was nothing didn’t add anything positive to my same “adulthood”...
I, like all the children in the world, adored gifts... And now all day long I wondered what it could be, what, in my grandmother’s opinion, with such confidence I should have “liked very much”?..
But the wait wasn’t that long, and very soon it was completely confirmed that it was very worth doing...
Finally, my “birthday” morning was cold, sparkling and sunny, as befits a real holiday. The air “burst” from the cold with colored stars and literally “ringed”, forcing pedestrians to move faster than usual... All of us, going out into the yard, took our breath away, and steam literally billowed from “everything living” around, funny making everyone look like multi-colored locomotives rushing in different directions...
After breakfast, I simply could not sit still and followed my mother, waiting to finally see my long-awaited “surprise”. To my greatest surprise, my mother went with me to the neighbor’s house and knocked on the door... Despite the fact that our neighbor was a very pleasant person, what she could have to do with my birthday remained a mystery to me...

There are about 18 species of penguins, and each one is unique. One lives where there is ice and snow, and the other lives in hot latitudes, having its own characteristics. One is very tiny, weighing no more than a kilogram, and the other is a real giant weighing 40 kg and tall more than a meter. The characters and preferences of these birds are also completely different. Prostozoo lifts the curtain on the diversity of penguin species.

Blue penguin

The blue penguin is also called the small one, because it is the smallest and at the same time one of the most numerous. It is also called the elf penguin, possibly due to the blue tint of its back. Little penguins chose their habitat New Zealand and the coast of South Australia.

The height of this little penguin ranges from 40 centimeters. The baby weighs about one kilogram. Little penguins build their nests in caves or crevices. They love to organize penguin parades: emerging from the water at sunset, small penguins form groups of 10-40 and march in formation to their nests, shouting to their relatives and children. Blue penguins are very faithful - with the chosen partner they can stay together for the rest of their lives.

It is also called the northern little penguin, as it is the most famous subspecies of the little penguin. Differs from other species by white stripes at both ends of the wings.

White-winged penguins live in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. They are mainly active at night, unlike other penguin species. Everyone goes out to sea to hunt together, but only when it gets completely dark. In search of food, they can swim from the coast to a distance of up to 75 kilometers.

Source: nzbirdsonline.org.nz

Crested penguin

Also rock, rock or Rockhopper penguin. This is the “rock jumping penguin”, because its favorite way to enter the water is to jump into it from a cliff with a “soldier”, while other penguins prefer to dive.

This proud handsome man lives on most islands temperate zone Southern Ocean. His head is decorated with beautiful yellow feathers. But the rock penguin has a scandalous temper - if you make him angry, he will make loud noise and even attack.

Source: megasite.ucoz.es

This is the most famous and uniquely colored species of penguin. It received its name in honor of the wife of the explorer Dumont-D'Urville.

The Adelie penguin builds its nest from pebbles, which it can steal from unwary neighbors. Settles on the coast of Antarctica and nearby islands.

In winter, Adélie penguins live on floating ice floes 700 kilometers from the coast, and in the polar summer they nest on islands near Antarctica. At the beginning of nesting, the air temperature can reach -40°C.

Source: http://penguins2009.narod.ru/

Chinstrap or south polar penguin

A relative of the Adelie penguins. It is very small compared to other species - the number of individuals reaches 7.5 thousand pairs. Distinctive feature Antarctic penguin - a black stripe along the neck from ear to ear and a black cap on the head.

They are wonderful swimmers, diving to depths of up to 250 meters, and also swim 1000 kilometers into the sea. Habitat: Antarctic and subantarctic islands.

Source: http://pingvins.com/

Galapagos penguin

A distinctive feature of Galapagos penguins is their habitat. And they live on warm Galapagos Islands, where the air temperature reaches 28°C and the water temperature 24°C. This is the only penguin species that lives in the tropics.

These penguins have a black head, and a white stripe runs from eye to eye down the neck. The bottom of the beak and the skin around the eyes are pink-yellow. There are very few Galapagos penguins - about 6,000 pairs. Unlike other species, this penguin has many enemies due to its small stature and habitat.

Source: http://www.awaytravel.ru/

The golden-haired or golden-haired penguin is similar to the crested penguin, but the golden-haired penguin has more yellow feathers on its head. English name This species is translated as a dandy penguin. Their habitat is very extensive and numbers about 200 places.

Interestingly, the body weight of an adult penguin changes almost twice as different time year and depending on the periods of molting and reproduction. Colonies of the golden-haired penguin are truly huge - up to 2.5 million birds. This is the most numerous species– more than 11.5 million pairs.

IUCN 3.1 Vulnerable:

Climbing penguin (crested)(lat. Eudyptes chrysocome listen)) is a bird of the penguin family.

Description

Penguin (length 55-62 cm, weight from 2 to 3 kg (average 2.3 - 2.7 kg), with narrow yellow “eyebrows" ending in tassels. Distributed on the islands of the Subantarctic, Tasmania and Tierra del Fuego. And also lives on the mainland coast of South America.They are the most northern of all penguins inhabiting the subantarctic zone.

Climbers' paws are short, located behind the body, closer to the back. The plumage is waterproof, the feathers are 2.9 cm long, the color is white below and bluish-black above. On the head there are bright yellow feathers growing from the eyebrows in all directions, on the top of the head there are black feathers. The wings are strong, narrow, and look like flippers. The eyes are tiny.

Spreading

The population size is about 3.5 million pairs and is considered stable.

Lifestyle

Climbers usually form very large colonies, often using rock ledges, lava plateaus, and coarse rocky coastal slopes. On islands with a developed soil layer, they dig nesting niches and real burrows, usually under high hummocks formed by perennial grasses. The nests are lined with pebbles, grass, and small bones.

Climbing penguins feed on krill and other crustaceans. They find their food during their daytime swim at sea.

Climbing penguins are social birds and are rarely seen alone. Their colonies are very numerous and, as a result, very aggressive. Birds behave noisily, emitting loud calls, which they use to call partners or announce that the territory is occupied. Another gesture - shaking the yellow-feathered head - also serves to attract attention. When resting, penguins hide their heads under their wings. At the end of summer, rock climbing penguins leave the colony and spend 3-5 months at sea fattening up. Their wings resemble flippers and are good for swimming, but are not adapted for flight. Climbing penguins live on coastal cliffs, sticking to the bushes tall grass where they dig holes and make nests. They attract a lot of tourists to the Falklands and are the main attraction of the islands. Uncontrolled fishing deprives penguins of food; another factor limiting population growth is water pollution with oil and its waste.

The lifespan of rock climbing penguins is 10 years.

Reproduction

Climbers begin breeding in September-October in the north, and in November-December in the south of the range. Partners call each other with a characteristic cry, signaling their readiness to mate. Pairs are formed on long years. There are sometimes 3 eggs in a clutch. And the male incubates them. During incubation, it does not leave the land; sometimes the female replaces it. It also warms newborns, and if the female does not appear on time with a portion of food, the male feeds the chick with “penguin” milk, which is formed as a result of digestion of food. The first egg is 20-50% smaller than subsequent ones, it usually dies, although if it finds itself in favorable conditions, it hatches into a full-fledged penguin. Having laid an egg, the female passes it to the male, who hides it in a fold on his stomach and does not part with it throughout the incubation period, which lasts 4 months. The downy outfit is black and gray, with a white belly. Having reached 10 weeks of age, the young molt and become similar to adults. On some islands, crested penguins suffer from pigs, dogs, and foxes brought by humans.

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Notes

An excerpt characterizing the Crested Penguin

The arriving Dron confirmed Dunyasha’s words: the men came on the orders of the princess.
“Yes, I never called them,” said the princess. “You probably didn’t convey it to them correctly.” I just told you to give them the bread.
The drone sighed without answering.
“If you order, they will leave,” he said.
“No, no, I’ll go to them,” said Princess Marya
Despite the dissuading of Dunyasha and the nanny, Princess Marya went out onto the porch. Dron, Dunyasha, the nanny and Mikhail Ivanovich followed her. “They probably think that I am offering them bread so that they will remain in their places, and I will leave myself, abandoning them to the mercy of the French,” thought Princess Marya. – I will promise them a month in an apartment near Moscow; I’m sure Andre would have done even more in my place,” she thought, approaching the crowd standing in the pasture near the barn in the twilight.
The crowd, crowded, began to stir, and their hats quickly came off. Princess Marya, with her eyes downcast and her feet tangling in her dress, came close to them. So many different old and young eyes were fixed on her and there were so many different faces that Princess Marya did not see a single face and, feeling the need to suddenly talk to everyone, did not know what to do. But again the consciousness that she was the representative of her father and brother gave her strength, and she boldly began her speech.
“I’m very glad that you came,” Princess Marya began, without raising her eyes and feeling how quickly and strongly her heart was beating. “Dronushka told me that you were ruined by the war.” This is our common grief, and I will not spare anything to help you. I’m going myself, because it’s already dangerous here and the enemy is close... because... I give you everything, my friends, and I ask you to take everything, all our bread, so that you don’t have any need. And if they told you that I am giving you bread so that you can stay here, then this is not true. On the contrary, I ask you to leave with all your property to our Moscow region, and there I take it upon myself and promise you that you will not be in need. They will give you houses and bread. - The princess stopped. Only sighs were heard in the crowd.
“I’m not doing this on my own,” the princess continued, “I’m doing this in the name of my late father, who was a good master to you, and for my brother and his son.”
She stopped again. No one interrupted her silence.
- Our grief is common, and we will divide everything in half. “Everything that is mine is yours,” she said, looking around at the faces standing in front of her.
All eyes looked at her with the same expression, the meaning of which she could not understand. Whether it was curiosity, devotion, gratitude, or fear and distrust, the expression on all faces was the same.
“Many people are pleased with your mercy, but we don’t have to take the master’s bread,” said a voice from behind.
- Why not? - said the princess.
No one answered, and Princess Marya, looking around the crowd, noticed that now all the eyes she met immediately dropped.
- Why don’t you want to? – she asked again.
Nobody answered.
Princess Marya felt heavy from this silence; she tried to catch someone's gaze.
- Why don’t you talk? - the princess turned to the old man, who, leaning on a stick, stood in front of her. - Tell me if you think anything else is needed. “I’ll do everything,” she said, catching his gaze. But he, as if angry at this, lowered his head completely and said:
- Why agree, we don’t need bread.
- Well, should we give it all up? Do not agree. We don’t agree... We don’t agree. We feel sorry for you, but we do not agree. Go on your own, alone...” was heard in the crowd from different directions. And again the same expression appeared on all the faces of this crowd, and now it was probably no longer an expression of curiosity and gratitude, but an expression of embittered determination.
“You didn’t understand, right,” said Princess Marya with a sad smile. - Why don’t you want to go? I promise to house you and feed you. And here the enemy will ruin you...

The crested penguin (climber penguin, Eudyptes chrysocome) is a species of swimming bird in the genus Crested penguin; includes three subspecies: southern crested penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome), eastern crested penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome filholi), northern crested penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome moseleyi). The southern subspecies is found in the Falkland Islands, on the coasts of Argentina and Chile; eastern - on the islands of Marion, Prince Edward, Crozet, Kerguelen, Heard, MacDonald, Macquarie, Campbell and the Antipodes Islands; northern - on the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Saint-Paul and the Amsterdam Islands.

This is a rather small penguin: height 55-62 cm, weight 2-3 kg. The coloring is common for penguins: blue-black back and white belly. The chicks are black and gray at the back and white at the front. On the head of adult birds there are narrow yellow “eyebrows” with tassels, which are especially long and shaggy in the birds of the Tristan da Cunha islands. The eyes are reddish, the short convex beak is red-brown. The paws are pink, short, located behind the body, closer to the back. The plumage is waterproof, the feathers are 2.9 cm in length.

Crested penguins usually form large colonies using rock ledges, lava plateaus, and coarse rocky coastal slopes; often in the vicinity of albatrosses. On islands with a developed soil layer, they dig nesting niches and real burrows, usually under high hummocks formed by perennial grasses. The nests are lined with pebbles, grass, and small bones. Usually one nest is used for several years.

Crested penguins need fresh water, therefore they often nest near fresh water bodies and springs. Reproduction begins in September-October in the north, in November-December in the south of the range. Crested penguins are monogamous. Pairs are formed for many years. Usually the female lays two, rarely three eggs with a break of 4-5 days. The first egg weighs about 80 g, the second about 10 g. Usually only one chick hatches. In populations of northern and eastern crested penguins, two chicks in a brood practically never occur. In southern crested penguins, both chicks can survive under favorable conditions. Having laid an egg, the female passes it to the male, who hides it in a fold on his stomach and does not part with it throughout the incubation period, which lasts 4 months. Having reached 10 weeks of age, the young molt and become similar to adults.

Rock climbing penguins feed on krill, other crustaceans, small fish. During the incubation of eggs, the male does not leave the land; sometimes he is replaced by a female, sometimes he incubates throughout the incubation period. It also warms newborns, and if the female does not appear on time with a portion of food, the male feeds the chick with “penguin” milk, which is formed as a result of digestion of food.

Crested penguins are rarely seen alone. Their colonies are numerous. Despite their small size, crested penguins are aggressive. Birds behave noisily, making loud calls. At the end of summer, crested penguins leave the colony and spend 3-5 months at sea, gaining fat.

Penguins attract tourists to the Falkland Islands and are the main attraction of the islands. Uncontrolled fishing deprives penguins of food; another factor limiting population growth is water pollution with oil and its waste. On some islands, crested penguins suffer from pigs, dogs, and foxes brought by humans. The lifespan of crested penguins is from 10 to 25 years.