King Penguins

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King penguin
Aptenodytes patagonicus

Statistics
Height: 95cm (37in), Weight: 11-15kg (24-33lb).
Physical Description
Adult king penguins have yellow/orange comma-shaped markings on each side of the head and on the lower mandible of the beak. Chicks are almost naked when they are born, but they quickly develop a covering of grey/brown down.
Distribution
King penguins inhabit rocky, snowy and icy areas of sub-Antarctic islands, including the Falklands.
Diet
King penguins feed on krill, fish and squid. They often hunt in groups, and feed every 14 days when incubating eggs or looking after chicks.
Behaviour
King penguins come ashore in September to breed and to moult in large rookeries, which can include thousands of individuals. They cannot return to the water until they have replaced their full plumage, which can take a month.They weigh about 15kg when they come to shore after building up stores of fat, but they lose this at a rate of 250g a day, since they cannot enter the sea in search of food.When the young are old enough, they are left in a crhche with other juveniles, and both parents can then search for food. The adults return to the sea during the winter, leaving the chicks alone, and they are rarely fed during this time. Many chicks die early on, due to starvation or attack by skuas and giant petrels. At 10 months old, the chicks have acquired a darker version of adult plumage, and are ready to enter the sea. At the start of their third year, they return to shore to moult.
Reproduction
King penguins do not build a nest, although they do tend to stay in one area within the colony. The female lays one egg in mid-December, which she broods on her feet under a fold of fat for a few hours, before the male takes over.She then returns to the sea to feed for 18 days before returning to take over from the male. The total incubation of the egg takes about 54 days, with both parents alternating brooding duty.During the breeding season, king penguins make regular trips between their nests and feeding grounds. Until the chick is big enough to join the crhche, the young are guarded by one parent, while the other makes a trip of up to 400km (250 miles) in search of food.

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At South Georgia	At South Georgia	At South Georgia

 

 Last updated 04/12/2007