Little penguins, often known as Blue or Fairy Penguins, are only found in the Southern hemisphere. They are the smallest species of penguin, growing to around 43cm (16inches). There is some debate over the classification of small penguins. Some scientists think that the Little Blue/Fairy penguins and the White-Flippered penguin belong as two sub-species, but others think the Little White-Flippered penguin is a new species in its own right.
Little Blue or Fairy penguins get their name from their plumage, which is an indigo-blue or slate grey color.
Little Blue penguins are found around the warmer waters of Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, and there are roughly 500,000 breeding pairs. Although not an endangered species, it is thought that there is a threat to certain sections of the population due to the increase in predators such as foxes, dogs and ferrets. Natural predators include sharks, seals, killer whales and larger gulls.
There is also a degree of threat from human activities, oil spills, and rubbish in the water, nets and cars all contributing to the dangers. Penguins often have to cross roads to reach their burrows at night and are run over in the process.
Little Blue penguins go out to sea to catch their food, their main diet being squid, small fish and crustaceans, hunting in the shallow waters close to shore. They catch their food by diving, usually diving less than thirty feet. The name of their species class is Eudyptula, which is the Greek for ‘Good little diver’. In common with most other penguin species, Little Blue penguins swallow their food whole.
The penguins live and nest on burrows or crevices in rock faces. Mating occurs around June, and it is usual for a penguin pair to mate for life. The pair will return to the same breeding burrow every year, repairing it and using it for each subsequent brood. The males go through elaborate courtship rituals and mating usually occurs between June and August.
Two eggs are usually laid and hatch in about five weeks, and caring for both eggs and young is shared by both parents. For the first weeks of their lives, penguin chicks are cared for round the clock. For around five weeks, the chicks are fed regurgitated food. After this period, tough as it may seem to human eyes, the chicks are turned out of the nest and forced to fend for themselves. This is not as harsh as it may seem; the chicks being totally capable of swimming and catching food for themselves by this stage of development.
Little Blue penguins reach sexual maturity around the age of three and usually live for roughly seven years. The usual factors of food supply, habitat and predation all contribute to exactly how long any individual might live. They are often seen hunting in groups and this congregation is called a ‘raft’. They are also noted for their extremely noisy mass departures, around dawn, to begin their day’s fishing,
For more about Little Blue penguins and their lives, follow this link. For more about the numbers of Little Blue penguins and threats to their numbers, follow this link.
