Reproduction

How does the macaroni penguin produce its young?

These birds are considered monogamous. After spending the year at sea they will return to the same nesting site and call until they identify their partner.

Pairs will deposit two eggs in to their nest. Only one chick will ever reach fledging. This tends to be the chick from the second egg which is often larger. All birds in the colony will lay their eggs within two weeks of one another.

Their nest is established in the shade under vegetation or rocks.

Both the parents will work together to incubate the eggs. In almost all cases the female will take the first shift sitting on the egg. They then swap once every 7 to 12 days. Males will take the final shift while the female goes to sea gathering food for both herself and the chick.

After hatching the chick relies on its parents for heat and they will be constantly brooded in shifts by the parents. It is fed on regurgitated food from the parents. The male goes first while the female goes to sea.

After 25 days the chick has developed enough feathers to keep itself warm. They must wait on land for 11 weeks old when their feathers become waterproof and they can forage at sea. During this time the chicks will huddle together in a group to keep warm.

Females reach sexual maturity at 5 years old followed by the males at 6 years old.

Behavior

What does the macaroni penguin do with its day?

At their colonies these animals will produce a loud braying noise. While at sea their vocalization is a short bark.

Outside of the breeding season these birds are rarely seen on land. Most of their time is spent in the open ocean foraging.

These birds dive to depths between 15-60m (50-200ft) deep. They may remain submerged for up to 2 minutes.

Each year these birds undergo a molt. This occurs roughly 3 weeks after the breeding season ends. Prior to this they take to the sea and gather large fat reserves to survive on as they are not waterproof and can not feed during this time.

The molt takes 25 days during which they lose their insulating feathers. This process removes damaged feathers which prevent them being waterproof.

In the water this species can reach a top speed of up to 24km/h (15mph).

Credit: Jerzy Strzelecki, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Predators and Threats

What is impacting the survival of the macaroni penguin?

Natural predators of the macaroni penguin include fur seals, leopard seals, killer whales and birds such as giant petrels and the skua which will feed on chicks.

Introduced species such as cats, mice and rabbits are present in some of their habitats and may have an impact on this species.

While direct predation by fur seals is a major threat an even greater one is competition with these animals for their prey.

The total population of macaroni penguins is estimated at 6.3 million breeding pairs with the largest individual colony including 2.2 million pairs. They are considered to be the most abundant penguin species.

Numbers of this species are unfortunately decreasing across their range.

Fisheries threaten them through accidental capture and removing their food source. Disturbance by humans more generally through tourism and research is another threat.

Oil spills have an effect on localized populations where they occur.

Quick facts

Macaroni penguins are considered to be the world's most abundant penguin species.

These birds may be referred to as the alpine penguin due to their habit of scaling cliffs.

Their is taken from a fashion trend at the time of discovery in which young men would wear a feather in their hat. The yellow crest feathers of these birds would remind the explorers of this.

The scientific name of this species means 'good diver with a golden crest.'