Adelie Penguin

Like many penguins, Adelie Penguins live at sea for most of the year, swimming underwater with the aid of their flipper-like wings to catch fish.

The Adelie Penguin is a medium-sized penguin of sturdy appearance. It has a black back and white front, with a black face and distinctive white eye-rings. The bill is black with a dark orange base and appears stubby because it is covered with feathers for half its length. It has a long tail, often held above water. Males and females are alike, but females are smaller, with shorter wings and bills.

Adelie Penguins live mainly at sea, generally within the limits of pack-ice which they use to travel long distances and for resting.

Adelie Penguins are found mainly at sea in southern oceans around the coasts and islands of Antarctica. It is the most widespread penguin species in the Antarctic.

Adelie Penguins feed mainly on fish, crustaceans, amphipods and cephalopods. They can dive to about 175 m but usually forage in shallower waters no more than 70 m in depth.

Adelie Penguins breed in summer, mainly on the rocky platforms of islands of southern oceans. The nests are made out of small stones, and males and females share incubation and care of the young almost equally.

• Breeding Season: October to February.
• Clutch Size: usually two
• Incubation: ~36 days
• Nestling Period: 50 - 60 days

During courting the Adelie Penguin call is like a rhythmic throbbing sound.

Heavy commercial fishing impacts negatively on the food supplies of Adelie Penguins. Disturbance and loss of habitat, particularly at breeding sites, has led to species decline in some areas.