One of the 15 penguins on WAnimals
Birds · Sphenisciformes · Spheniscidae
Macaroni Penguin
Eudyptes chrysolophus
Vulnerable
At high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term.
The macaroni penguin is the most abundant penguin in the world, with more than six million pairs, and even so it is listed as vulnerable because its population has fallen steadily over recent decades. It owes its name to the orange-yellow plumes that spring from the centre of its forehead and fall to the sides. It depends almost entirely on Antarctic krill, whose distribution is changing as the Southern Ocean warms.
Weight
3.5 kg – 6.4 kg
Size
65 cm – 75 cm
Life expectancy
20 years
