Macaroni penguin

Macaroni penguins are a species of bird known for the long, bright-yellow feather plumes on their heads. Like other penguin species, they cannot fly but are excellent swimmers and may dive for two to three minutes at a time. Unlike other penguins, which waddle awkwardly on land, Macaroni penguins hop easily on both feet.

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Order: Sphenisciformes

Family: Spheniscidae

Genus: Eudyptes

Species: Chrysolophus

Macaroni penguins live in the waters and on certain islands of the subantarctic South Atlantic. They do not live as far south toward Antarctica as some of the other penguin species. These penguins spend most of their time in the water, but when they are on land, they hop on both feet, while other penguins can only waddle clumsily. These flightless birds are very social creatures and are rarely separated from others in the colony.

The characteristic black-and-white bodies of the penguins are around 28 inches (70 centimeters) tall when standing upright on shore. Their round, chubby bodies weigh up to 14 pounds (6 1/3 kilograms) and have thick layers of blubber, or fat, which helps keep them warm in the water. A macaroni penguin's size and weight vary by gender and time of the year. Before the penguins molt, they will weigh more; after molting, they will weigh almost half their pre-molt weight. The short, dense feathers covering their bodies tightly overlap to form a waterproof layer against the cold water. Each penguin also has a thick layer of downy, soft feathers beneath this outer layer, which traps air against its body and warms it. Plumage, or feathering, on the birds' heads, backs, and wings is black, while it is white on their chests and bellies.

A notable feature of these penguins is the long, thin, bright-yellow plumes, or feathers, on the tops of their heads, which stand up and point toward the backs and sides of their heads. The species is thought to have received their common name from these plumes. During the 18th century, some European people stuck feathers in their hats to be fashionable. In Great Britain, men who wore such feathers and other fashionable items were sometimes called "macaroni." When British sailors first saw these penguins, they compared their plumes to the adornments of macaroni. Rockhopper penguins have similar plumes, but theirs point back and down along the sides of their heads.

Macaroni penguins are carnivores, or meat-eating animals. Flocks of macaroni penguins mainly feed on krill, which are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans. The krill swim in large schools near the water's surface at night, so the penguins often swim to these feeding grounds and colonies. Throughout the day, the penguins dive for fish and squid. Each of their many dives lasts for two to three minutes. The penguins swim on or just below the surface of the water. Their flipper-like wings, webbed feet, and short, stiff, wedge-shaped tails propel and steer them through the water. They surface momentarily to breathe so they do not have to slow down when swimming fast. The air trapped in their feathers keeps them from diving too deeply or for too long.

When they are not feeding, the penguins may simply swim about since they are excellent swimmers, or they may hop on land with others in the colonies in which they live.

Mating season arrives around October and November. Macaroni penguins often mate in the same sites and with the same mates yearly. Before mating, the males claim their territories, and the females arrive shortly afterward. The female's two eggs are of different sizes. The second egg may be 70 percent larger than the first egg, which likely will not survive. Both parents take turns incubating the egg and then feeding while not incubating. Incubation lasts 33 to 37 days. The penguin chick is covered with brown, downy feathers and huddles securely under its parents at first, but it soon enters the water after it has acquired longer, brown feathers. By the end of its first year, it is all suited in its black-and-white adult plumage. The young penguin mates only after it reaches the age of six years for males and five years for females. It may live to be ten to twenty years old in the wild and thirty years in captivity. The adult penguins molt, or shed their feathers, each year after mating. This process is slow and gradual and takes several weeks. After their new feathers replace the molted feathers, the penguins enter the water and probably migrate northward to warmer waters.

Predators of the macaroni penguin include killer whales, fur seals, and leopard seals. Climate change and the commercial fishing industry have caused the macaroni penguin to become a vulnerable species. 

Bibliography

"Macaroni Penguin." British Antarctic Survey, www.bas.ac.uk/about/antarctica/wildlife/penguins/macaroni-penguin. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.

"Macaroni Penguin." Center for Biological Diversity, www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/penguins/macaroni‗penguin.html. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.

"Macaroni Penguin." Detroit Zoo, detroitzoo.org/animal/macaroni-penguin. Accessed 24 Aug. 2024.

Reynolds, Katie. "ADW: Eudyptes Chrysolophus: Information." Animal Diversity Web, 2001, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eudyptes‗chrysolophus. Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.