Today is all about the tiniest penguin in the world, the aptly named Little Blue Penguin! Of course I couldn’t do a blog series on New Zealand Birds without including them. Penguins are top contenders for my favourite birds. I’d love to do a post on our endemic Yellow-eyed Penguin, but alas, that will have to wait until I have photographed them! In the mean time, this post is for all my penguin loving friends.

Little Blue Penguins, Kororā (Eudyptula minor) are native to New Zealand and Australia, where they are also known as Fairy Penguins. It’s not hard to see why, these miniature birds only stand 33cm tall and weigh around 1kg! Don’t let their size fool you though, they’re tough, tenacious birds. They have to be, to thrive and hunt in a marine environment that is full of much larger animals that would consider them little more than a morning tea snack.

Around New Zealand, these penguins are widespread and relatively common, but their populations are declining. They face threats both at sea and on land. At sea they can become tangled in fishing nets and drown while foraging, and on land their habitat is declining due to housing expansion into breeding areas. As well as that, they are hit by cars on coastal roads that form a lethal barrier between the sea and their nests, and their chicks are at risk from predators such as cats and ferrets. As tough as they are, they’re still very small birds, and they need our help. Predator control can be very effective in boosting breeding success, and artificial nest boxes can be a great alternative for these burrowing nesters.

Now I love all birds, but penguins have a special place in my heart. Their tenacity, curiosity, and quiet deliberation give them such character that it’s impossible not to form a connection with them. It is a joy to watch them swim with such power, and then come ashore to waddle with a slight lack of grace – but no less enthusiasm. Little Blue Penguins are nocturnal on land, and come ashore at dusk. Wandering on Tiritiri Matangi Island at night, you will often come across them making their way back to their nest burrows, moving industriously up the rocky shore and through thick bush in the dark. I always get a little jolt of excitement seeing them, and hearing their grumbling calls.

Have these little guys found a place in your heart? Why not vote for them as New Zealand’s Bird of the Year? Or perhaps another penguin species has caught your eye – Yellow-eyed Penguins compete with Galapagos Penguins for the unenviable title of the rarest penguin species in the world. New Zealand and its Subantarctic Islands are also home to the Fiordland Crested Penguin, Erect-crested Penguin, and Eastern Rockhopper Penguin. Just make sure you vote before the closing date on October the 25th!

Reference

Flemming, S.A. 2013. Little penguin. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz