Erect-crested Penguin - Eudyptes Sclateri
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Distinguishing features
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Erect-crested penguins are easily identified on land as the crests
stick straight up in the air! At sea they are very difficult to distinguish
from Snares penguins.
Chicks have brown grey backs and white fronts. |
| Alternative names |
Erect-crested penguins are sometimes called "Sclater's penguins". |
Height
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Erect-crested penguins are about 65 cm tall. |
Weight
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Erect-crested penguins weight varies by about 1 kg during the year.
Typical maximum weight - before moulting - is about 6.5 kg. |
Breeding locations
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Erect-crested penguins breed on sub-Antarctic Islands south of New
Zealand, mainly on the Antipodes and Bounty Islands. Estimates of the total
breeding population vary widely from 100,000 to 1,000,000 pairs. The most
likely population is around 200,000 pairs. |
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| Nesting behaviour |
Nests are simple depressions in the ground lined with some vegetation
where available. Two eggs are laid but usually only one chick is raised.
Little is known about the breeding of Erect-crested penguins. They probably
follow a similar pattern to other crested penguins. |
| Principal diet |
There have been no studies of the diet of Erect-crested penguins. There
is one report that suggests they eat mainly krill and squid. |
