Yellow-Eyed Penguin

Quick Take

• This penguin's Māori name hints at something bizarre about its personality, and the quirk has nothing to do with appearance. Discover the Māori name →
• Unlike nearly every other penguin species, yellow-eyed penguins actively avoid their own kind, and the reason why is fascinating. See their solitary behavior →
• A single year nearly wiped out 60% of this species, and the culprit was not what you would expect. Read about the 2004 outbreak →
• Males of this species can outlive females by a staggering margin, though this is true only under one specific condition. Explore their lifespan differences →

The only penguins belonging to the genus Megadyptes, the yellow-eyed penguins are uniquely characterized by their pale yellow eyes. Usually found on Stewart Island, Auckland Island, and Campbell Island, these penguins can also be distinguished by their eyes and yellow feathers that rest at the peak of their heads. They are also found in New Zealand and the southeastern coast of the South Island.

Incredible Yellow-Eyed Penguin Facts

• The Māori name of the yellow-eyed penguin is Hoiho, which roughly translates to “noise shouter.” It comes from the call sounds that the penguins make.
• This species is one of the rarest and fourth-largest penguins in the world.
• In the year 2004, a respiratory disease killed about 50% of yellow-eyed penguin chicks across the South Island, resulting in a major threat to the species.
• These are the only penguins that belong to the genus Megadyptes.

Scientific name

Megadyptes antipodes is the scientific name of the yellow-eyed penguin. The name translates to ‘large diver of the Antipodes’. The penguins also have a Māori name, Hoiho, which means ‘the noise shouter’ and is usually a very prominent reference to the shill noise that these penguins make.

Appearance & Behavior

A grown-up yellow-eyed penguin stands about 22 to 31 inches tall, or roughly 56 to 79 centimeters. They have yellow eyes and are most commonly distinguished by the yellow feathers at the top of their heads. These penguins usually weigh between 8 and 19.6 pounds. The male yellow-eyed penguins are a tad bit taller as well as heavier than the female ones. Apart from this feature, both genders have a whitish-grey mark on the underside of their usual black body, with almost unnoticeable differences between them.

Usually, the younger penguins have grey irises, which, as the penguin grows, turn into a yellow shade, thus giving the penguins their names. The baby penguins, which are known as chicks, have dark-gray down feathers all over their bodies when they are born.

The yellow-eyed penguins prefer to stay in one place without much migration. They are relatively less social in comparison to other penguin species and do not like to stay or move about in colonies or groups. Instead, they prefer going out hunting alone and are often seen diving and swimming into the deep waters alone. These penguins are known to spend most of their day at sea and are also known to be amazing underwater swimmers.

Habitat

Hoiho, or the yellow-eyed penguin (as the legend says), is only found in New Zealand. These penguins usually choose the southeastern coast of the South Island to breed. They can also be found in Stewart Island, Auckland Island, and the Campbell Islands.

The penguins are known to live in the coastal forests with exotic vegetation around them. It is also said that these penguins choose their nesting spots very carefully and that this is only done after a comprehensive and careful assessment of the site.

Diet

The yellow-eyed penguins are carnivores, and their diet typically consists of many types of small fish. These might include the Opal fish, aruhu, silverside, as well as the red codfish. The Arrow Squid is also an essential dietary addition to their normal routines.

The penguins usually feed themselves in the sea waters, though they sometimes seek out food as deep as 394 feet (120 meters) below the surface and 19 miles (30 km) away from the shore. The biggest threat to their food supply is humans since they tend to overfish in these regions and disturb the areas that the penguins use to seek out their food. As necessary as the red codfish is to their nutritional needs, a lack of availability has led them to consume the blue codfish instead, which has significantly fewer nutrients.

Predators and Threats

Yellow-eyed penguins are endangered, facing many threats to their health and life. Adults are killed in the ocean by animals like sharks and sea lions. However, water is not the only place that they are killed. On land, all the members of the clan, including newborns as well as the hatched eggs, are at risk of being preyed upon by ferrets, ermines, and dogs as well as cats.

When the yellow-eyed penguin isn’t being hunted by predators in its environment, it fights for survival as farmers and fires cleared much of their optimal environment in the 1980s. While there have been many conservation efforts to replant and reinvigorate the region with new vegetation, the local communities are still working to reduce tourism. Other efforts to improve the area include the creation of safe spaces to molt, which is necessary for the yellow-eyed penguin’s health.

Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

Unlike most other penguins, the yellow-eyed penguins do not move around or engage a lot with each other. They also do not form big groups or colonies. Their nests are visually far away from the site of each other’s nests.

The breeding in yellow-eyed penguins usually begins around the age of three or four. These penguins are also known to form pairs that will last longer, and the mating partnerships are often recurring. In August, the yellow-eyed penguins are often seen choosing their nesting spaces, after which, around September, each couple lays two eggs — a new life thus begins.

The incubation/gestation period in the yellow-eyed penguins usually lasts about 39 to 51 days. The parent couple is often said to be sharing the responsibility for the newborn chicks, as they are commonly called. One of the biggest threats to the health of these penguins is avian diphtheria, which is caused by inhaling bacterial plaque that often builds up inside their mouth. The bacteria makes breathing and eating difficult, preventing the chick from getting the hydration and nutrition that it needs.

Avian malaria is another risk for chicks, though it has been known to affect adult penguins as well. Brought on by parasites in the bird’s blood, the main form of transmission is through mosquito bites, which become more concentrated in the area during times of heavy rainfall.

The feeding process is usually completed in shifts, with one parent staying with the egg or the newborn and the other one venturing out to get food. According to sources, the shifts are said to change at least once per day. Around six weeks after being born, the food demands of the newborn chick drastically change, after which both the parents have to venture out to get food to meet the increasing demands.

In about 106 to 108 days — usually around mid-February, the chick weighs between 11 and 13 lbs (5–6 kg) and starts venturing out on its own with no help from either of its parents or any other older member.

The yellow-eyed penguins usually live for about eight years on average. In the wild, they can thrive for up to 25 years, but males have the advantage of a much longer lifespan. They can live up to twice as long as the females in their colonies.

Population

The number of yellow-eyed penguins is fairly insignificant compared to the number of other penguins in the world. The total number of mature individuals around the globe is only about 2,600 to 3,000.

These penguins are found in New Zealand. They can be found on Campbell Island, Auckland Islands, and Stewart Island.

In New Zealand, there are about 3,600 yellow-eyed penguins left. There has been a major decrease in their population since 2000, when they were about 7,000 in number. The conservation status of this rare penguin species was then changed to ‘endangered’.

An Island sanctuary, in a survey, said that about half the population of the yellow-eyed penguins had disappeared from the face of the earth. It was also said that the population was now at its all-time lowest.