Bird of ice: Penguins

King Penguin on a Rock
Photo by Sam Crimmin

“Penguin” derived from latin word “Pinguis”, Pinguise meant fat, the thick layer of the body fat which stretch out underneath the plume of the penguin. Penguins are never alone, they move around and feed around in colony and stay close other penguins.

Found in the northern and southern limits of Antarctica’s ice packs, inshore water and offshore islands, are the Adelie Penguins. With a streamlined body, fatty plume, flipper-like wings and short legs, the Adelie penguins are excellent swimmer. But on land they are ponderous with its legs being far and small in size, due to which the penguin has to walk upright and an awkward position, shuffling on its short stiff legs. Hopping numbly at times over rocks and other low obstacles, and drops itself onto its chest from top of ice slopes gliding down the ice pack, which is a much easier way of traveling or moving.

Adelie penguins spends most of the time at sea swimming around the ice packs surrounding Antartica. They returns to the barren lands, beaches and rocky coastal during breeding period, which is around September. They all pair with each-other, finding a nesting area, which they will mate, stay and defend for the next weeks of breeding season. The Breeding process gathers huge number of penguins together. After six weeks of incubation by both sex, two little chicks hatches out. The baby penguins are feed for two week after birth at the nesting area, one penguin stays brooding and guarding the baby penguin while other feeds at sea, After two week both adult feeds together and the little ones are kept in colony or joining up in “creches” and are guarded from sea gulls. The baby penguins are fully grown and ready for the sea in 2 months from birth. After the mating season ends, the penguins return to the sea , swimming in groups and feeding in groups around winter ice.

Adelie penguin

The Adelie penguin lives near to Antartica’s ice to feed, as the krill eat the algae growing underside of the ice. A Adelie penguin could dive 65 feet inside the sea to hunt for prey and krill. It can dive under water and remain underwater for unto seven minutes. As an excellent swimmer it can catch swimming preys like squid and fish while cruising underwater. The hunting period could last for 4-5hours or more, Adelie penguins prefer to feed at night, as many krill and squid migrate to the surface during the dark hour of night.

An Adelie penguin loses almost half its body weight during the annual moltting period, which is during February and March. Out of all 17 species of none of them has flying abilities, but are excellent aquatic creature with great swimming skills. Penguin species are divided into two groups, Adelie penguin & Rockhopper penguin. The Rockhopper penguins are slightly shorter and smaller than the Adelie penguins and are greater in numbers, located around Antarctic. The only thing common in their appearance is blackish-blue and white plumage, the rockhopper penguin’s facial decoration are much more elaborate. Thin crest of golden tweaks just above the eye and behind the cheeks of rockhopper penguin gives them a courtship display. A black crest at the back of its head is moveable, and the rockhopper penguin has short and compact bill for catching krill.