2

Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) Alternate name(s): "Fairy Penguin", "Little Blue Penguin", "Blue Penguin" Aboriginal name(s): Race "novaehollandiae": "widi", "koolidja" (S WA) Size: 35-45 cm Body mass: 0.5-2.1 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 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.

Taxonomy, classification See Little 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 Little Penguin is available HERE . 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.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "novaehollandiae" M. Eaton reports spotting Little Penguins, race "novaehollandiae", at the St. Kilda pier, Melbourne, VIC, in October 2017. Others were found by M. Eaton at Bicheno, TAS, in September 2021 and again in September 2024. C. Pears reports finding Little Penguins, race "novaehollandiae", at Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, in October 2022.

Photos

Race "novaehollandiae"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Little Penguin, with one of its mates close behind (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bicheno, TAS, September 2021]

Frontal view of 3 Little Penguins, two of which are preening (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bicheno, TAS, September 2021]

Near-frontal view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bicheno, TAS, September 2024]

Near-frontal view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bicheno, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bicheno, TAS, September 2021]

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]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bicheno, TAS, September 2024]

Lateral view of 3 Little Penguins, one of which is issuing its call (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bicheno, TAS, September 2021]

Close-up frontal view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Close-up frontal view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Close-up frontal view of two Little Penguins (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Close-up lateral view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Lateral view of a swimming Little Penguin; note the slick surface (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Close-up dorsal view of a Little Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Behaviour

Prior to moulting, which will make it impossible for them to hunt under water, Little Penguins will fatten up, from their usual body weight of about 1 kg to ca. 2.5 kg.

Close-up lateral view of a fattened up, pre-moult Little Penguin (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Comparison between a fattened up Little Penguin and one at normal weight (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

Comparison between a fattened up Little Penguin and two at normal weight (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Refuge Centre, Penguin Island, near Rockingham, WA, October 2022]

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.

litpeng_me_20210927.m4a	novaehollandiae (TAS)	Contact calls(?)	© ME
litpeng_me_20210927_2.m4a	novaehollandiae (TAS)	Contact calls(?)	© ME

More Little 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.