Monday

Funny faces of the penguin world



Introducing....the Crested penguins!  


These guys have some fancy feathers on their heads that make them look like, well... tropical birds. But that's okay...they live off the warmer jungle islands south of New Zealand.


Here's how you know you're looking at a crested penguin:


1st IK*: Yellow crest


2nd IK: Red beak and eyes


Not too hard to remember. So which crested penguin is in the photo below?  Leave a comment with your answer! 

Hint: Look at the face color to help you!

Funny faces of the penguin world



Introducing....the Crested penguins!  


These guys have some fancy feathers on their heads that make them look like, well... tropical birds. But that's okay...they live off the warmer jungle islands south of New Zealand.


Here's how you know you're looking at a crested penguin:


1st IK*: Yellow crest


2nd IK: Red beak and eyes


Not too hard to remember. So which crested penguin is in the photo below?  Leave a comment with your answer! 

Hint: Look at the face color to help you!

Thursday

Do you ever feel misunderstood?



The Banded penguins sure do.  These penguins have never lived in the snow; some can even be considered tropical birds!


Banded penguins live in the temperate waters off the coasts of South Africa, South America, and the Galapagos Islands.


There are four types:
  • Humboldt penguins
  • Magellanic penguins
  • African penguins
  • Galapagos penguins

And there's one sure way of identifying them from all other penguins:


1IK*: A single or double band of black across the chest!




So next time you see a penguin, don't just assume it's from the Antarctic.  And if you see a band across the chest? Well, its home might be warmer than yours!


Check it out: Can you identify which type of Banded penguin is swimming in the first photo?


Do you ever feel misunderstood?



The Banded penguins sure do.  These penguins have never lived in the snow; some can even be considered tropical birds!


Banded penguins live in the temperate waters off the coasts of South Africa, South America, and the Galapagos Islands.


There are four types:
  • Humboldt penguins
  • Magellanic penguins
  • African penguins
  • Galapagos penguins

And there's one sure way of identifying them from all other penguins:


1IK*: A single or double band of black across the chest!




So next time you see a penguin, don't just assume it's from the Antarctic.  And if you see a band across the chest? Well, its home might be warmer than yours!


Check it out: Can you identify which type of Banded penguin is swimming in the first photo?


Tuesday

When penguins turn blue...

We are taking a closer look at penguins, starting from the smallest to the biggest.


So today, we will look at Little Penguins. Funny thing about them...they're blue! There are two types:


 The Fairy penguin (smallest penguin in the world):
  • 1st IK*: Gray-blue feathers on back, white underside.
  • 2nd IK: Flippers have white on trailing edges
  • 3rd IK: Pink on top of feet

  The White Flippered penguin:
  • 1st IK: Gray-blue feathers on back, white underside.
  • 2nd IK: Flippers have white on leading and trailing edges
  • 3rd IK: Pink on top of feet
Little penguins are particularly susceptible to oil in their native waters. When rescued from oil, however, there's a unique way to keep them from dying; penguin sweaters!







For more details on how sweaters save Little Penguins, click here!

*Identification Key, or IKs, are characteristics used to identify an animal. (More about identification keys here.)