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Little Penguin
(Eudyptula minor)
: "Fairy Penguin", "Little Blue Penguin", "Blue Penguin"
 Aboriginal name(s): Race "novaehollandiae":
"widi", "koolidja" (S WA)
Size: 35-45 cm
Weight: 0.5-2.1 kg
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Little Penguins are the smallest of all penguins.
The entire front, from the chin downwards to the undertail
coverts, including the legs, feet, underside and edges of
the flippers, is white to off-white. The ear coverts are
greyish, while the rest of the head is bluish-grey. The
entire back is also bluish-grey, covered with a glossy,
spiky chevron pattern.
The irises are off-white to grey. The bill is dark-grey
with a light base to the upper mandible. Compared with
the bills of other
species of penguins, the bill is quite narrow and
straight. The legs and webbed feet, where not covered by
feathers, are light-grey.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Little
Penguin at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Little Penguin is available
HERE
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Little Penguins are found in New Zealand, including Chatham
Island, and along the coastline of southern Australia, with
occasional sightings in South Africa and the southern Chilean
coastline.
In Australia, Little Penguins, race "novaehollandiae",
are found mostly in the South-east
of the continent. Along the East coast their range extends up the
coastline of NSW, sometimes as far to the North as Port Macquarie.
They are found along much of the coastlines of both Tasmania and
VIC, extending into SA up to Eyre peninsula in the West. There
are also Little Penguins in a few locations in WA, ranging from
Esperance, WA, westward and up along the West coast to just to
the South of Perth, WA. They are also present on a number of
offshore islands.
Little Penguins live in coastal areas, nesting in both burrows
dug into sand and in rock crevices. They spend much of their time
in coastal waters,
but, since they also appear on other southern continents, must also
be at home in the open sea of the Southern Ocean.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "novaehollandiae"
M. Etaon reports spotting Little Penguins, race "novaehollandiae",
at the St. Kilda pier, Melbourne, VIC, in October 2017.
All sighting and photographic information presented on this
page has kindly been contributed by M. Eaton.
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Photos |
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Race "novaehollandiae"
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ADULT |
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Frontal view of a Little Penguin clambering towards the observer
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Kilda pier, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]
Lateral view of a Little Penguin
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Kilda pier, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]
Lateral view of a Little Penguin
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Kilda pier, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]
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.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
