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Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) Alternate name(s): "Ringed Penguin", "Bearded Penguin", "Stonecracker Penguin" Size: 68-76 cm Body mass: 3.2-5.3 kg

Australia: Family Group 2 Family Group 2 Table Magpie Goose Cape Barren Goose Black Swan Plumed Whistling-Duck Wandering Whistling-Duck Spotted Whistling-Duck Blue-billed Duck Musk Duck Hardhead Australian Wood Duck Pink-eared Duck Grey Teal Chestnut Teal Garganey Australian Shelduck Radjah Shelduck Freckled Duck Pacific Black Duck Green Pygmy-Goose Cotton Pygmy-Goose Australasian Shoveler Australasian Grebe Hoary-headed Grebe Great Crested Grebe Emperor Penguin King Penguin Adelie Penguin Chinstrap Penguin Gentoo Penguin Royal Penguin Macaroni Penguin Rockhopper Penguin Little Penguin Magellanic Penguin Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Chinstrap Penguins are medium-sized penguins, with an all-white front and an all-black back. Their characteristic feature is a narrow black chin band. Males are larger and heavier than females, but this is difficult to see in the field. The irises are chestnut-brown; the bill is black, while the legs and feet are skin-pink.

Taxonomy, classification See Chinstrap Penguin at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Chinstrap Penguin is available HERE . Chinstrap Penguins have a circumpolar distribution around Antarctica. They breed on subantarctic islands. On Australian soil, Chinstrap Penguins are found in Australian Antarctica and on Macquarie Island. Sometimes vagrants are found in Tasmania (and in New Zealand). Chinstrap Penguins are non-flying pelagic birds that spend most of their time out in the open ocean and in coastal waters. Penguins can also spend much of their time on ice.

Sightings Click here for sighting information M. Mearns reports spotting Chinstrap Penguins on the Antarctic continent in January 2005. Other photos shown below were taken by C. Pears between southern South America and the Antarctic Peninsula in December 2024.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

"Change of the guard" at a Chinstrap Penguin nest; the nuzzling is probably part of a bonding ritual
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal portrait of a Chinstrap Penguin leaning against a rock
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a swimming Chinstrap Penguin looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin looking at the observer (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin basking in the sun (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin; click on photo to compare it with a Gentoo Penguin, left, and an Adelie Penguin, right (photo courtesy of M. Mearns)
[Antarctica, January 2005]

Close-up lateral view of a tobogganing Chinstrap Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Nov - Mar

Eggs: 2

Incubation period: 33 - 36 days

Fledging age: 49 - 56 days

Listed above is the core breeding period for Chinstrap Penguins. The exact duration of their breeding season depends on location (latitude).

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Bowl

Material: Rocks

Height above ground: N/A

Nests are bowls in rock mounds heaped up by the birds.

Lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin on its nest feeding a chick (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Near-frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin on its nest brooding a chick (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin on its nest with a chick visible (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Near-lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin on its nest with a chick and an egg visible (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Brilliant timing by the photographer: Close-up frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin helping its hatching chick
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Brilliant timing by the photographer: Close-up lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin guarding a hatching chick
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a Chinstrap Penguin lying on its nest (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

The walk to a Chinstrap Penguin breeding colony is arduous (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin carrying a rock for its nest; this is how they got the name "Stonecracker Penguin" (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Close-up lateral portrait of a Chinstrap Penguin carrying a rock for its nest; this is how they got the name "Stonecracker Penguin" (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Overview of a small Chinstrap Penguin breeding colony (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Wide overview of the location of a small Chinstrap Penguin breeding colony (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 67 x 52 mm

Colour: Creamy/rusty

Shape: Tapered oval

Frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin on its nest with two eggs (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Frontal view of a Chinstrap Penguin on its nest with two eggs (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[December 2024]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

chinpen_cp_20241223.m4a

(South Georgia)

Various (nest colony)

© CP

More Chinstrap Penguin sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.