The Eudyptula minor, also known as the Little Penguin or Fairy Penguin, is the world’s smallest penguin species. Native to Australia and New Zealand, these seabirds inhabit temperate coastal waters.
Identifying the Little Penguin
The Little Penguin stands 25 to 33 centimeters tall and weighs 1 to 1.5 kilograms. Its plumage is blue-grey or slate-blue on its head and upper parts, white underparts, and blue flippers.
They are found along the southern and southeastern coasts of Australia, including Tasmania, and throughout New Zealand’s North and South Islands, Stewart Island, and the Chatham Islands. They inhabit coastal environments like rocky shores, sandy beaches, and coastal forests. Colonies often form on offshore islands, but some mainland populations exist where predators are absent.
Life and Habits
Little Penguins are nocturnal on land, spending days foraging at sea and returning to burrows at dusk. During breeding season, they are central place foragers, returning to the same nest or colony after hunting. Their diet includes small schooling fish (e.g., anchovies, pilchards, barracouta), squid, krill, and crustaceans.
They can dive 10-30 meters for 24 seconds, with dives up to 60 meters recorded. They swim up to 6 kilometers per hour.
Breeding occurs in colonies, with males returning before females to prepare nesting burrows. These burrows, up to 0.4 meters deep, are dug in sand or under vegetation, or they may utilize caves and rock crevices.
Females lay two eggs, and both parents share incubation duties for 35 days. After hatching, parents alternate guarding and feeding chicks for 2-3 weeks, then both forage at sea as chicks grow. Chicks fledge at 7-9 weeks. While they form monogamous pairs for a breeding season, pair bonds may separate after an unsuccessful nesting attempt.
Conservation Status
The Little Penguin is classified as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to its high numbers and wide geographic range, estimated at over one million globally. However, some localized populations face various threats. Introduced mammalian predators, such as foxes, dogs, cats, ferrets, and stoats, threaten mainland colonies.
Habitat loss and degradation from human settlement, coastal erosion, and pollution, including oil spills and plastic, impact their breeding grounds. Climate change is an emerging concern, with impacts including changes in prey availability and increased temperatures affecting breeding success. Conservation efforts include:
- Eradicating foxes from islands
- Managing human disturbance in colonies
- Installing artificial nest boxes
- Establishing cooling stations for penguins in warmer areas
- Monitoring programs
- Public education