One of the 15 penguins on WAnimals
Birds · Sphenisciformes · Spheniscidae
Yellow-eyed Penguin
Megadyptes antipodes
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
The yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho, is one of the rarest penguins in the world and probably the most ancient in lineage: it is the only living member of its genus. It is told apart by a yellow band encircling its head from the eyes and by pale yellow irises. Unlike almost all penguins it does not breed in dense colonies: each pair needs to nest out of sight of the others, within coastal forest.
Weight
7.5 kg – 8.5 kg
Size
62 cm – 79 cm
Lifespan
24 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Estimated population
Fewer than 3,000 mature individuals
Fun facts
- It is the only penguin in the world that needs privacy to breed: if one pair can see another from the nest, breeding success falls, which is why it depends on dense coastal forest rather than open beaches.
- It appears on the New Zealand five-dollar note, and even so its mainland population has been falling for decades: in some recent seasons fewer than 150 pairs have been counted on the whole South Island.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Coastal forest and dense scrub of the south-east of New Zealand's South Island and the subantarctic islands
- Sexual maturity
- 4 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 43 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megadyptes_antipodes
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Yellow-eyed Penguin — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Fiordland Penguin
Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
Little Penguin
Eudyptula minor
Southern Rockhopper Penguin
Eudyptes chrysocome
Grey-Headed Albatross
Thalassarche chrysostoma
Hector's Dolphin
Cephalorhynchus hectori
New Zealand Kaka
Nestor meridionalis
How to help
The yellow-eyed penguin is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 2 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about yellow-eyed penguin.
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