The Fiordland Crested Penguin also known as Tawaki in Maori. The crested penguin is a species of penguins found only in New Zealand. They tend to breed around the Fiordland coast, outlaying many islands including, Stewart and Rakiura. The Crested Penguin is medium sized, yellow crested, black and white and grow to around 60 to 65 centimeters tall. They weigh around 3.7 kilograms. They have a bluey-grey top half with a dark head meanwhile their lower half is white. The penguins have a very broad yellow eyebrow stripe which goes right over their eyes and down their neck, and the major- ity of the birds have about 6 white stripes on their face. The penguin primarily eat krill, fish (mainly red cod or hoki), and arrow squid. To gather their food they take small dives to forage around the sea bed and sand. The penguins tend to breed in the winter in the rainforests of Fiordland. They don't tend to gather materials for their nest either. They usually nest by themselves or in loose groups. They like to lay their eggs in caves, base of trees or in dense bush.
The Fiordland Crested Penguin is very vulnurable as it has a small population. The estimate population is between 2,500 and 3,000. The penguins main predators are the stoat, cat, dog and rats.
SPECIAL FACTS
The scientific name for the bird is Eudyptes Pachyrhynchus. The birds usually have about 2 eggs at a time. The penguins tend to feed inshore during breeding season. The Fiordland Crested Penguin is also known as "Tawaki" Thick Billed penguins. Their life expectancy is 1 to 15 years. To get their food they do shallow dives and for- age. Eggs have to be incubated for 30 to 36 days. The penguins are located in New Zealand.
Baby Chicks
The baby chicks are first born they are guarded by their father and fed by their mother. After a few weeks both parents start feeding the chicks and eventually the chick will begin to wander, as well as
chirping with other chicks around them, occasionally returning to the home nest to be fed. The chicks usually fledge around November, when they are around 10 weeks old. Then they return to their home colony to breed at the age of 5 years.
Written by Greer Collinson, student of Fiordland College
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