BBC - Science & Nature - Sea Life - Fact files: Little/Fairy penguin

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21 May 2013
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Little/Fairy penguin
Eudyptula minor

Statistics
They are about 40cm (15in) in height and weigh about 0.9kg (2lb). They are the smallest of the penguins.

Physical Description
The forehead, crown and dorsal surface of this penguin is indigo blue in colour, the chest and throat are lighter. Chicks are blue grey on the underside and brown on top.

Distribution
Little penguins are found on the shores of Australia and New Zealand. They move down to the Chatham Islands and other breeding sites during spring and summer.

Diet
Their diet consists of fish and crustaceans.

Behaviour
These penguins live socially, in pairs, within a colony for much of the year. They inhabit burrows in coastal dunes and go to sea to forage for food each day, returning at dusk.

They are often only seen when active outside the burrow at night and are regularly heard making contact calls. There is thought to be a population of about a million birds.

Little penguins suffer nest predation from non-native mammals like rats, stoats and weasels.

Reproduction
They breed from August to February and lay two eggs over a period of 3-5 days. Both parents incubate the egg and they take it in turns to feed the chick once it has hatched.

Conservation status
The little penguin is not listed as endangered.

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