Adelie penguin
The Adelie penguin is a prominent species found in Antarctica, recognized as potentially having the largest population among birds on the continent. These penguins breed in large colonies, with some containing up to several million pairs, and collectively consume thousands of tons of food daily. Standing over 2 feet tall and weighing between 8 to 18 pounds, Adelie penguins are well-adapted to their frigid environment, sporting a thick layer of blubber and waterproof feathers that provide insulation in extreme cold.
Adelie penguins are skilled swimmers, capable of reaching speeds of up to 12 miles per hour, and primarily feed on krill, small fish, squid, and mollusks. They are social animals, forming lifelong mating pairs and returning to the same breeding sites each year, guided by the sun’s position. The breeding season begins in early November, and after a relatively short incubation period, both parents care for their chicks until they are ready to fend for themselves. With a lifespan of 10 to 20 years, Adelie penguins are an integral part of the Antarctic ecosystem, known for their distinctive black and white coloration and active social behaviors.
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Adelie penguin
The population of Adelie penguins may be the largest of any bird in Antarctica. Breeding colonies may contain up to 700,000 penguins, but there are also reports of colonies with a few million breeding pairs in them. Colonies of these sizes may eat several thousand tons (metric tons) of food per day.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphenisciformes
Family: Spheniscidae
Genus: Pygoscelis
Species: Adeliae
Like others in the penguin family, Adelie penguins cannot fly, but they are skilled swimmers in their frozen Antarctic habitat. Standing a little over 2 feet (60 centimeters) tall on their large, webbed feet, the Adelie penguins' stout, streamlined, bodies weigh between 8 to 18 pounds (3 to 8 kilograms). A thick layer of blubber, or fat, beneath the skin insulates each penguin against temperatures of 75 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (60 degrees below zero Celsius). Each penguin also has a coat of short, dense, waterproof feathers which keep them dry. The feathers are designed so that water runs off them and so that they trap air near the skin where the body warms it. Adelie penguins have black heads, backs, tails, and tops of their wings, as is typical of all penguins. Like the other penguins, the undersides of their wings and bodies are white. Adelie penguins have a white ring around each black eye.
Adelie penguins spend much of their time on pack ice where it is warmer than on land. They move farther on shore during the spring and summer, which is late fall in the northern hemisphere. When they are in the water, the penguins swim up to 12 miles (19 kilometers) per hour. These speeds are possible because of the birds' flipper-like wings, which propel them, and their webbed feet, which steer their bodies. They catch mollusks, small fish, squid, and krill in their short beaks. Krill are tiny creatures that are like shrimp. Each penguin may eat up to four pounds (two kilograms) of food per day. While catching their own food, the penguins are usually able to escape their natural enemy, the leopard seals.
The spring breeding season in Antarctica is in early November. A male and female pair for life and use the same breeding site year after year. The birds know when to begin moving toward their breeding grounds by the angle of the sun in the sky. Adelie penguins can travel long distances, often traveling up to 50 miles (80 kilometers) over ice and snow to the grounds. When they become tired from walking they slide on their stomachs and push with their feet. Males arrive first and claim their territories. Males may fight for sites and for stones to build nests. They flap their wings, grab each others' beaks, and bump chests until one bird yields ground or gives up the rocks.
The females arrive one week later. A male and female take turns incubating their two eggs, which hatch after five weeks. Both also feed the chicks for one month. After this, the parents search for food while up to 200 chicks gather together in nursery groups. The groups provide warmth and protection from predatory birds, such as jaegars. About two months after hatching, the chicks are able to feed themselves in the water. Adelie penguins begin moving from the breeding colonies in April when winter in the southern hemisphere is just beginning to arrive. Weak chicks are abandoned along the way. Chicks live for three to five years on the pack ice until they are able join the breeding colony. They mate when they are three to six years old.
The life span of Adelie penguins is ten to twenty years.
Bibliography
“Adélie Penguin.” Australian Antarctic Program, 11 Oct. 2022, www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/animals/penguins/adelie-penguin. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.
Hopkins, Ralph Lee. “Adélie Penguin.” National Geographic Kids, 2024, kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/facts/adelie-penguin. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.
“Top 10 Facts about Adélie Penguins” WWF-UK, 1 Feb. 2024, www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/adelie-penguins. Accessed 14 Mar. 2024.